Busy
by circusfreak88
Summary: This is a sequel to my story A Creature I Don't Know. Faith/Buffy pairing set in an altered season 5.
1. Wait

Summary: This is a sequel to my story A Creature I Don't Know which can be found here: s/8467907/1/A-Creature-I-Dont-Know

A/N: I strongly recommend a good understanding of season 5 to follow this: Buffy v. Dracula especially for this update.

Disclaimer:Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, 20th Century Fox, UPN and WB Television Networks own the television shows, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel". Dark Horse and IDW own the Comics. No copyright infringement is intended, no money is being earned by myself. The title of each chapter, and the story as a whole, come from K's Choice songs/Album titles. (Given that I had soundtrack for the first I thought I should have one for the second).

Thank you all for your kind words and support for my last story. I hope you enjoy my continuation of it. I would love to hear your thoughts on my thoughts. Many thanks.

* * *

1. Wait

They lay on Faith's bed, Buffy's head rested on her stomach as Faith absentmindedly played with her blond hair, careful not to stray too close to the puncture wounds on her neck.

Buffy had spoken for hours about him. Faith had drifted in and out, having spent most of the afternoon looking out of her bedroom window. Buffy had spoken about only two things all afternoon; Dracula and coming out. Given that she'd spent the summer trying to get Faith to tell people about their relationship, she should have been pleased that Buffy had finally discovered another topic. And yet.

Her jealousy of the vampire seeking out Buffy was only momentary, especially when she considered that she too had sought her out.

Diana had spoken about little else as she'd trained with Faith back in Boston. Like _Harry Potter_, Buffy was girl '_that lived_'. Buffy was legendary; she'd fought Lothos, the Master and countless other beasts, demons and forces of darkness. It was hardly surprising that someone as legendary himself would choose to seek her out.

Faith's frustrations lay in the knowledge that Dracula understood her power – _their_ power – better than Buffy did. As the girl continued to lay on her stomach, continued to talk, Faith couldn't help but think that Buffy's own issue was her self. Buffy had had a Watcher since she was fifteen, if she didn't understand her power by now it was because she had been too stubborn to learn.

The fact that Buffy was obsessing, though, was the issue that Faith was having the hardest time dealing with. Whenever she tuned back into the blond girl leaning on her, she worried that she was going to take Giles away from her. Faith was the active slayer now, Giles was hers. Buffy had missed her chance. She almost wished that Buffy would go back to telling Faith to come out.

She rearranged herself so that Buffy fell away from her. Buffy shot up and looked confused before Faith explained that Giles would be back soon they should probably head back downstairs.

"I know he's old and British but he's not stupid." Buffy told her eventually as they settled themselves onto the sofa and in front of _Passions_. Faith merely shrugged searching down the back of the couch to find the remote. "I've spent practically every day here all summer!"

"So, we hung out a lot back when you were in high school – you know, before Angel." She shrugged once again turning up the volume.

Buffy chose to ignore the look Faith had briefly given her when speaking of the vampire. "Do you honestly think he doesn't know we're in a relationship?"

"We're not in a relationship." Faith responded quietly, not turning from the television in front of her. "We hang, we have sex. Its no biggie."

"No, you're right, its no biggie." Buffy nodded, standing slowly to straighten her skirt. "I'm going to go home. Check in with Mom." She saw the vaguest signs of regret on the younger girl's face and a small apology forming on her lips. She had no intention to press it though. "When Giles gets back, tell him I want to speak to him."

"B…" Faith started to follow her but realised she wouldn't know what to say even if she could get the other girl to stop and listen to her.

* * *

"Are you up for desert?" Joyce asked her daughter realising she'd barely touched her food. "We could take a drive, get some ice cream."

"No," Buffy replied continuing to push her meal about its plate.

"Okay, you're not eating your dinner meaning something's wrong, but you don't want ice cream so its not about a boy. Last time I saw you this evasive, you and Faith were going through that massive fight, when you were still in high school." Buffy looked up from her plate and at her mother. "Bingo."

"How did you get to be so astute?"

"You're my only daughter…" Joyce smiled at her. "Has this got something to do with you two being practically inseparable all summer?" Buffy merely shrugged. "Why don't you call Willow?" she offered as she started to clear the dishes.

"Willow? Why, why would Willow be able to help?" Buffy asked her, a little too quickly, as she followed her mother into the kitchen.

"Well I assume you've told her?"

"Told her what?"

"That you and Faith are fighting again."

"Oh, that. No."

"I'm going to miss these hearts to hearts we have when you return to school." Joyce sighed, watching as Buffy made a start on the dishes clearly trying to avoid her conversation.

"We'll do it again when school starts." Buffy offered with a half smile. "Make a regular date night."

"Yeah," Joyce smiled back as she started to dry, "one day I might even learn what goes on in that head of yours." She dropped the dish cloth and turned her daughter towards her, "Thank god you're an only child." Her mother held her close and ignored the wet hand prints slowly growing on her back from where her daughter returned the hug.

* * *

Giles returned and dropped his parcels on his desk before offering Faith a cup of tea.

He was still pottering about in the kitchen, getting a couple of bits together to form a supper for the pair of them, when he felt her eyes upon him. He turned and found her leaning against the arch that led to the small room. He asked her if she was going to help and was unsurprised when she answered with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Thanks," she said eventually.

"For preparing baked potatoes?" he questions as he pricked the vegetables. "Its quite an arduous task but I think I've risen to the occasion."

"You know what I mean."

"In this instance, I'm afraid I don't."

"For looking after me, giving me a home, getting me back on my feet. Literally." She added after a moment's thought.

"The pleasure was all mine." He smiled at her, rising from the oven and setting the timer.

"I can get out of your hair when ever you want you know, I'm 18 now."

"I know," he nodded, "but you're not in my hair. You never have been."

"Thanks."

"Is this all an elaborate plot to get out of uniform shopping with me tomorrow?"

"No." she shook her head. "Well, if you could send me to a normal school with boys and the freedom of clothes, you know, that would be appreciated."

She had lost this argument months ago, though. She knew that he had to prove that she was receiving an education for him to be allowed to remain her guardian, but she was 18 now it didn't matter. She knew how disappointed he'd been in her when she'd dropped out of school… again.

He had built their relationship up from scratch, worked with her to show her that she meant something; to him even if not to herself. After England he'd worked tirelessly to show her that she wasn't just a slayer. She wasn't just an instrument. She was a person, a girl, a child.

School.

An education.

A future.

A thousand and one other things, he offered her that no one else had ever tried to. But he was still disappointed in her. Within Miss Potter's he saw the structure and discipline that she so desperately craved. She just saw frilly uniforms and rich kids. She would come round though.

He watched her simply leaning against the archway and wondered what had come about her. Realising that she was unlikely to tell him any time soon, he tried to change the subject, however, he was soon interrupted.

"I think I'm kind of bisexual." She looked up at him, realising that that was not the conversation he was probably having with her. "I think I'm kind of in seeing B."

"Damn." He sighed without thinking.

"No, you're right its cool. I'll stop." She ran a hand through her hair and turned to leave.

He grabbed her arm before she had time to flee, "I meant, damn: I owe Xander ten dollars." He said simply pulling her close and into an embrace, she pulled back and frowned up at him. "I might have," he let go of her and instinctively started to clean his glasses, "bet him some money that you wouldn't tell me about your, uh, relationship with Buffy for a while longer."

"You guys have been talking about us?"

"No, well, yes." He felt uncomfortable under her gaze. "It's been a slow summer."

"Thought you and Red had that project going?" she gestured over to Willow's abandoned computer in the other room. He merely shrugged awkwardly. "You are spending way too much time with teenagers." She smiled at him.

He moved past her, into the living room and started to tidy away the parcels he'd picked up, but he found that she was still watching him through the serving hatch.

"I'm pleased you finally trusted me enough to tell me, but you and are Buffy are quarrelling," he said without looking up from his task, "I assume that's why you're telling me now?"

"Quarrelling? No, we're fighting." She missed the roll of his eyes. "If Buffy was to say," she hopped on to the counter and swung her legs round, "…want you back…" he looked up at her, "to be her Watcher again."

"You think I'll suddenly stop being yours?"

"You're using the tone that's trying to make my sentence sound crazy."

"Is that why you and Buffy are fighting? Because you're worried I'm going to abandon you for her?"

"That and that you… you know." She tried to gesture with her hands but eventually gave up and dropped them back to her sides. "My dad, my first dad," she continued when she realised that Giles wasn't going to say anything, "he didn't like gays. Or the Polish, for that matter."

"I don't know your father," Giles said softly, "but I imagine he and I would differ about a great many things." He removed his glasses and placed them on the counter besides her. "Love is love." he eventually said.

"Woah!" she jumped down quickly from the counter and held her hands up. "Who said anything about love?"

He merely shook his head, replaced his glasses and returned to his parcels. "Go talk to Buffy."

"What about my potato?"

"You can reheat it."

* * *

She walked slowly to Buffy's house, smiling at the familiarity of the home that was she was rapidly approaching. The summer had been spent either at the beach with the others or at her own home. She couldn't remember the last time she'd been to Buffy's house, she thought it was that snowy Christmas eve, but she wasn't sure. She suspected she'd probably been a couple times in-between but it was the Christmas that stuck in her mind.

She knocked on the door and was relieved to see that it was Buffy who answered the door.

"Hey."

"Hi…" Buffy folded her arms before her.

"I was a jerk before."

"Yeah…" the blond nodded, closing the door softly behind her and inviting Faith to sit on the swinging chair besides her on the porch. "…nothing like hurtful words to be… hurtful."

"I told G." she swallowed as she tried to gage Buffy's reaction. "I told him that I thought I was bisexual and that I thought I might be in a relationship with you."

"That's a lot of thinking you did."

"I figured I should practise before school starts up."

"Cool."

"That's it, cool?"

"For now." Buffy moved in and brushed her lips against the side of Faith's cheek before taking her hand and pulling her to a stand. "Come on, we'll catch a movie." She opened the front door and stepped back into the house and bellowed for her mother. "Faith and I heading into town for a bit."

"If you're going out," Mrs Summers' head popped round the corner of the upstairs wall, "why don't you take you sister with you?"

"_Mom!_" both of her girls cried back in unison as Dawn came running into hallway to join her sister in her protestations.

* * *

As I said thank you very much for all your support with the first story. Please let me know what you think of its sequel. Many thanks, Circus.


	2. Something's Wrong

Summary: This is a sequel to my story A Creature I Don't Know which can be found here: s/8467907/1/A-Creature-I-Dont-Know

A/N: I strongly recommend a good understanding of season 5 to follow this: No Place Like Home especially for this update.

Disclaimer: Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, 20th Century Fox, UPN and WB Television Networks own the television shows, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel". Dark Horse and IDW own the Comics. No copyright infringement is intended, no money is being earned by myself. The title of each chapter, and the story as a whole, come from K's Choice songs/Album titles. (Given that I had soundtrack for the first I thought I should have one for the second).

Thank you all for your kind words and support for my last story. I hope you enjoy my continuation of it. I would love to hear your thoughts on my thoughts. Many thanks.

* * *

2. Something's Wrong

He was listening to her, really he was, but there was just so much going on. He had a girl loudly, and obnoxiously, cursing his name from upstairs as she tried on her school uniform. He had a young girl pulling books off the shelf at random, flicking through ancient texts and then discarding them when she found they didn't hold her attention either. Finally he had Buffy.

She was sat in front of him, trying to tell him something important while trying to get her younger sister to stop touching things and placate her girlfriend.

It was at times like these, though he'd often felt at though he'd had an entire tribe of children, he was grateful he'd never had a family of his own.

He poured himself another cup of tea, trying to regain a sense of peace and calm, but found that Dawn was simply complaining that he didn't have any soda. Any minute now Buffy was going to tell him why she was here, Faith would stop complaining, the three of them would all leave him alone and he could contemplate a life alone. Possibly even watch _Passions_.

Faith came down the stairs, looked around the three of them bickering and decided that perhaps returning to school wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. She thought about turning round, returning to her room and changing back into her own clothes before any of them noticed her. But she knew, when she came back downstairs they would all still be acting like children. Except for Dawn, she was 14, she was allowed to act like a child.

She placed both her index fingers in her mouth and blew, one hard and sharp whistle and she had all of their attentions.

"B, can you please tell him that you want him to be your Watcher again. Giles, say yes. Dawn, stop touching his books. You know he hates it when you touch his books, especially after you followed Xander's example and read Latin in front of them."

"You know Mom nearly sent Buffy to Miss Potters, you know after she was expelled from Sunnydale High."

"Dawn," Buffy was suddenly on her feet and pulling her sister towards the door, "less talking, more leaving."

* * *

Buffy watched as Faith sat and studied with Dawn as the rest of them busied themselves around them, preparing the Magic Box for its opening. Faith would make jokes about trading her Latin for Dawn's history, occasionally one would correct the other's spelling, but for the most part they were quiet as the other's busied themselves around them.

It took Buffy a while to adjust to seeing her in school uniform, so used to the leather and the dark colours that Faith preferred. She simply watched as both girls continued with their work, almost oblivious to everyone around them.

Giles, determined to keep her in school, kept Faith to a strict routine. She would complain, she would curse, but Buffy knew that she loved it. Loved having someone who cared for her, for her future. The fact that Giles was still as dedicated to her after her recovery, after her eighteenth birthday, was proof enough to the girl that he was in it for the long haul. Buffy was sure that it was such commitment to her on the Englishman's side, that had Faith repay him with devotion of her own.

Buffy couldn't help feel jealous though. While she and Giles were training again, working on the theory as well as the practicalities of slaying. He was acting as a father to Faith.

Faith was no longer patrolling, that was Buffy's job alone now. Giles requested that Faith be home by 11pm each school night which limited her patrols. The first week of school Buffy and Faith had worked together, laughing, playing, kissing, fuc… But as the nights turned to the days Giles laid down the law. Faith was to focus on her school work during the week. Buffy was to patrol alone.

But Faith was the active slayer, surely if anyone should have the opportunity to relax and take it easy, if anyone should have the opportunity for a life, it should be Buffy. She was a sophomore now, she had a life, a family, she was more than a slayer too. And yet it was Faith who he allowed to be a girl.

They trained harder, longer, than ever before. If she had not gone to him to request he be her Watcher again she would have wondered if he was trying to keep the two girls apart. Not that she would ever ask him that though. Not that she ever could.

Last time he'd betrayed her trust she'd been left to fight a monster in the dark, powerless and alone. She couldn't, she wouldn't find out if he was forsaken her again. The thought, the prospect, was too much to deal with.

She couldn't speak to Faith about her fears, her insecurities. Faith finally had a father, if she had to choose between Buffy and Giles, Buffy would lose every time. Not she would ever ask her though, not that she ever could.

And so it continued, Giles would treat the slayer in Buffy while attending to the girl in Faith. That was how it was, until the day her mother dropped a couple of plates.

It was nothing, she said.

A couple of headaches, the doctors replied.

But a couple morphed into a few, and the few became constant. The 'nothing' was becoming something. No one could work out what it was but it was getting worse. Second opinion, she said. Wait for a first opinion first. Yet the first was not forth coming.

All she knew was they're coming at her. She wasn't above it. They come through the family. They get to her family.

She dropped off her mom's painkillers and headed straight back out to the Magic Box where her friends were working on the orb the man had given her the other night.

"Giles, I have an idea what's making my mom sick."

"You've spoken to her doctors?"

"They won't find anything. What's hurting her; its supernatural." She picked up the sphere. "The night-watchman who found this went crazy. Like overnight. Something made him that way."

"Damn B," Faith sighed as she, Giles, Anya and Willow all stepped away from the glowing ball, "why can't you ever bring home a nice Kinder Surprise Toy?"

"Let's not taunt the Happy Fun Ball." Willow warned her.

"It won't hurt us. I had it on me all night. But this guy, Giles," she turned back to her Watcher, "he saw things. Said things."

"Such as...?"

"They'll come at me through my family."

"Who will?"

"I don't know. Yet." Faith saw a darkness behind her she'd seen only once before. "But whatever touched this guy made him see through what the rest of us are seeing. He knew someone's hurting my mom, and they're trying to get to me."

"Yeah but," Faith stepped round the counter to meet her, "you're taking the word from one who flew over the cuckoo's nest here."

"Its not much to go on." Giles agreed.

"Its a start. We have to find out who's making my mom sick, and how."

"Then what?" Willow asked her as Buffy pulled a book off the shelf at random.

"I hunt them. Find them. And kill them."

Faith suddenly remembered when she'd seen the darkness descend upon her before, it was the night she'd come to kill her.

* * *

Faith accompanied Buffy back to her house, she didn't like the idea of her resorting to magic. She didn't trust it. She like the way it messed with people and fooled them into seeing things that weren't there. Crazy people saw things that weren't there.

She watched as Buffy prepared herself for the Frenchman's spell, interrupting her thoughts by telling Faith to go home, that she could manage on her own or to simply put down Mr Gordo. Faith stayed put though. Watching over her.

All she could do was watch as Buffy lit incense, yelled at Dawn and poured sand. All she could do was watch as Buffy slowly stood up and look about her room. Her pupils were fixed and dilated, she looked back at Faith as though she had never seen her before. She frowned, laid a small kiss upon her girlfriend's hand and proceeded out of the room.

Faith followed.

She followed as she talked with her mother, she followed her back upstairs. She followed her into Dawn's room and could only watch as Buffy recoiled from her sister. It was only when she took Dawn roughly by the shoulders did Faith step in.

"B. B! Buffy!" She simply stared back at her, her pupils fixed and dilated. "Its only Sunny D. Its only Dawn."

She didn't trust magic. She didn't like how it would make people see things that weren't there.

Like that she was gone. Faith could only watch the devastation the spell had caused, the look of hurt covering the young girl's face.

"I'm telling Mom she did magic."

"You do that Sunny D."

Dawn suddenly looked up at her, the same darkness behind her eyes as her sister had.

"I always hated it when you call me that."

"And B's always hated B!" Faith smiled at her leaving the girl to her room.

"Watch her." Buffy told her, as she replaced the phone and made to grab her jacket.

"Yeah sure, I'll look after her." She descended the stairs further to meet the girl. "B, you really freaked her out up there."

"Just watch her." Buffy repeated as she left the house.

* * *

The first thing she remembered was how Dawn reacted to moving to Sunnydale. She didn't understand why she had to be punished because Buffy had done a bad thing. She didn't understand why they had to move, why she had to give her friends, why their father wasn't going with them.

The second thing she remembered was her birthday, she thought she was 10 that year, she might only have been 9, but the memory was the same. Not only was she going to the ice-skating with her father but Dawn, now that she was old enough, wasn't going too. It was just her and her dad. Dawn had to stay home with Mom.

She was human. She was helpless.

None of it was real.

She returned home from the factory tired, beaten and a wreck. Her sister, who she loved, who she hated, who she cared for, who she'd grown up with.

None of it was real.

Her mom and Faith were watching _Passions_ when she got home. Dawn was complaining about it. Faith explained to her how she'd got into the programme. Dawn thought that sounded cool. She didn't remember the mayor, why would she she'd only been twelve at the time. Local politics wasn't important.

None of it was real.

Her mom looked up and smiled at her. "You're home."

"I wasn't disturbing her." Dawn said as she stood. She pushed past her sister in her haste to leave her.

"What's all that about?" Joyce asked her.

"Sister stuff." Buffy said simply. She turned to follow Dawn upstairs before she thought better of it. "You'll wait?" She asked Faith. "I'll walk you home." and then proceeded after her sister once more.

Joyce simply looked at Faith in the armchair.

"Don't look at me." The girl shrugged. "I'm an only child."

* * *

Once they were a couple of blocks away from the house, Buffy found Faith's hand taking her own. She smiled down at the contact, she felt like she'd been pulling away especially since she'd told Giles about them. She'd missed her. With Faith back in school, herself back on campus and Giles working them both so hard she felt like she'd barely seen her.

It took Buffy a couple blocks more before she could ask Faith about her time in foster care and growing up with a family that wasn't hers. It was only when they got home, when she listened as Buffy explained what had happened after she'd left her home just a couple of hours before, did Faith understand why.

"I don't know what to say." Giles managed after a while.

"Tell me about it." Buffy sighed.

"Kind of puts our lives into perspective." Faith said.

"It is rather difficult to wrap one's mind around..." Giles nodded. "And she has no idea?"

"None. She thinks she's my kid sister."

"Are you going to tell her?"

"You can't." Faith answered the Englishman's question. "You raised her, grew up with her, she _is_ your kid sister."

"But that's just it;" Buffy ran her fingers through her hair. "... all those memories are fake."

"Not to her." Faith said simply.

* * *

Thank you all so much for all your follows, I really appreciate it, especially after only one update. Many thanks, Circus.


	3. Dad

Summary: This is a sequel to my story A Creature I Don't Know which can be found here: s/8467907/1/A-Creature-I-Dont-Know

A/N: I strongly recommend a good understanding of season 5 to follow this: Family especially for this update.

Disclaimer: Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, 20th Century Fox, UPN and WB Television Networks own the television shows, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel". Dark Horse and IDW own the Comics. No copyright infringement is intended, no money is being earned by myself. The title of each chapter, and the story as a whole, come from K's Choice songs/Album titles. (Given that I had soundtrack for the first I thought I should have one for the second).

Thank you all for your kind words and support for my last story. I hope you enjoy my continuation of it. I would love to hear your thoughts on my thoughts. Many thanks.

* * *

3. Dad

Faith had been listening to Buffy and Xander discussing what to get Tara for her birthday for too long. They were sat besides her at the table in the Magic Box under the guise of researching the woman who had fought, and beaten, Buffy the other night, and yet she found the pair of them were simply distracting her from her homework.

When Giles had first approached she was hoping he would get them back on track, possibly even get them to shut up, however he simply joined in their conversation. None of which was helping.

It was bad enough she had to go to school again, it was bad enough she was stuck in the year below her with nothing but rich girls for company, but now that she was actually trying to study she found Buffy's 'present buying headache' was getting in the way.

"Are all these magic books?" A young man asked the group approaching the table.

"No, this one is math." Faith said, directing her irritation to Buffy, "A subject which I've been trying to study for the past hour now but someone keeps talking about candles!"

"Private collection." Giles answered the man's question more directly. "The books for sale are along the wall there." He pointed across the room before walking back to the counter and Anya.

"So all these books got spell's in 'em? Turn people into frogs."

"No." Faith shook her head. "Normally they just make Buffy and I kis-" an elbow to her rib prevented her from finishing her sentence.

"I was going to make a joke about a race of frog people but," Xander smiled at the pair of them, "we really don't talk about your relationship enough!"

"And we're not going to start in front of strangers!" Buffy scolded him.

"So," the man looked between them all, "are you all witches?"

"Was there something in particular you were looking for?" Giles asked. He watched as the man started to respond, but found the stranger's attention had been taken by Willow and Tara entering the shop.

"Well what do you know?" the man smiled at Tara, forcing her to stop in her tracks, the conversation she'd been having with Willow forgotten. "What's the matter? Don't got a hug for your big brother?"

"Brother?"

"Tara didn't say she had a brother?" he frowned at Willow, before breaking into a smile. "I'm a dirty little secret."

"Willow, this is D-Donny."

"Hi."

"Nice to meet you." He continued to smile at Willow.

"And these," Tara gestured between the table and the counter, "are m-my friends."

"What, al'ya hang out?" Donny asked them all. "That's more people than you _met _in high school." He went to playfully hit her with the back of his hand but she stepped away. "Tara wasn't too social back when. I don't think she spoke 'til she was eight-"

"How did you find- I mean, how come you came?"

"Well, duh, birthday girl. We came down in the camper, been all over the campus-"

"We?"

"Dad, you know, and cousin Beth." He nodded. "We went all over campus looking. They oughta circle back here in a bit."

"No, we should find them. We could go-" She looked towards Willow "-I should go meet them."

"Yeah sure…"

The door bell sounded and Faith looked towards the entrance and watched as a couple more people entered the shop.

"Look who I found…" Donny smiled, swinging an arm over Tara's shoulder and showing her off proudly to the man.

"Dad! Hi."

"Well." The man half smiled as they exchanged a strained hug. "There's my girl."

"Its such a s-surprise."

"Yes. One of your dorm-mates said you might be here."

"Oh." Tara's arms were folded tight across her chest, she let one fall momentarily to gesture back round the shop. "These are my friends… Mr Giles, he runs the shop."

"How do you do?" Giles extended his hand to her father.

"Pleasure." He nodded before turning back to his daughter, "Well, I don't mean to interrupt your plans, I know we've come on you kind of suddenly. But I though we'd have dinner."

"Okay."

"Why don't I pick you up at six?"

"Yes, sir."

"Forgive me for running out," Mr Maclay apologised to the group, "we're double parked." He ushered his son and niece out of the shop before pulling the door behind him.

Faith watched as Willow tried to cover up the evident hurt at not being introduced to Tara's father, she watched as Tara tried to brush her family aside. She'd never known any one else to ever call their father 'sir' before.

* * *

She'd left Buffy to argue with Dawn as to why she could no longer hang out with short people and headed over to the university. It seemed weird to travelling towards campus knowing that Buffy wasn't going to be there. Buffy had managed to live on campus for a week before deciding to move back home with her mom and sister. Faith had been sad to give up the dorm room, she liked having the privacy, but she knew Buffy was right – she was needed at home.

As she climbed the stairs towards the dorm rooms she couldn't help but remember the look of hurt on Willow's face as she hadn't been introduced to Tara's father. For the first time she'd seen the other side of it. Buffy always told her it didn't matter, and she was just coming to terms with her sexuality she didn't need other people to have to come to terms with it too, and a hundred and one other reasons. Willow didn't have such a talent for hiding her emotions though. Willow had been hurt because Tara had been ashamed.

She knocked on the door, but found no response from within. She turned to leave but heard raised voices coming from the other side. Automatically she opened the door and was sickened to find Mr Maclay leaning over his daughter as she cried.

"I'm interrupting." She nodded as she stepped into the room. "I hate it when I interrupt some quality father-daughter crying time."

"I don't feel much like eating right now." He told his daughter, standing tall again and straightening his tie. "I'll give you a little time, but we need to be gone by morning. You family loves you, Tara, no matter what." He leaned in close to her again and whispered in her ear, an ordinary person wouldn't have caught his last sentence to his daughter, but Faith wasn't ordinary. "How do you think your friends are going to feel when they see your true face?"

He calmly walked towards Faith as if he owned the room. He nodded his goodbyes like an honest, southern gentleman before stepping out into the corridor. Faith closed the door in his wake and moved across the room towards Tara.

"Wh-what do you want?"

"I know we're hardly BBFs," Faith said, sitting down on her bed, "but we've got a lot in common, you and I?" She turned over one of Tara's soft toys in her hands. "Its hard trying to break into the Scoobies. They've been together for so long now, I don't think they'd know how to breath without having a group meeting first." She turned the bear to face her, unsurprised that she was the one doing all the talking. "Thing is, they don't know what its like having dad's like ours… Sure Xander likes to complain about his drunk family, but they're not abusive…"

"M-my… M-my…"

"I know we don't really talk much, or at all really." Faith replaced the teddy and stood up, "Just know that-" she cut herself off when she realised there was a better why of explaining it all. "Did Willow ever tell you about that crazy dream we all had?" Tara simply nodded. "Well, in my dream you were there, and you were telling me that I shouldn't worry about my feelings for Buffy- Yes." Faith rolled her eyes. "I know I don't talk about myself much, and I especially don't talk about my… whatever I've got going on with Buffy…" she shook her head, trying to focus once more. "You told me that your dad didn't like you being gay and so you ran away."

"This isn't about being gay."

"No, its about daddy issues."

"Go home Faith. Just, go."

She went to the door and pulled it open, "If you ever want to talk about it… you'll realise we're not all that dissimilar." Faith told her before pulling the door closed behind her. She got all the way to the stairwell before she turned back. She didn't bother knocking this time, just walked straight in. She found Tara looking through one of her old books. "I just wanted to say," Faith smiled awkwardly at the girl, "whatever your daddy issues are exactly – get over them. I've known Red for a couple of years now and… she'll deal. Trust me."

* * *

She walked through the shop door and watched as her friends struggled against just three demons. Even Buffy seemed out of her element. Faith rushed past her and instantly took one she was struggling to deal with into a headlock and snapped its neck.

"What are you all looking so confused for?" she shouted. "_HIT THEM!_"

"Easier said than done." Xander called back to her as he looked bewildered around the room, inadvertently backing into Spike.

"I don't think they can see them, Pet." Spike explained fighting another one in the corner.

"Spike?" Buffy questioned him looking in completely the wrong direction.

"Okay what the hell is going on?" Faith as she ushered Anya behind the counter to safety and snapped another's neck.

Tara rushed into the centre of the room from the street. "Blind Cadria, lift your veil, give evil form and break my spell."

Xander jumped when he realised how close he had been standing to the vampire. "Why are you even here?" he asked him.

"I only saved your bloody arse!" Spike explained killing the final demon and dropping its body to the floor.

"I repeat: what the hell is going on he-" Faith cut herself off when she watched the rest of Tara's family walk through the stop door.

"What in the name of God is that...?" Mr Maclay asked.

"Lei-ach Demon. Fun little buggers; big with the marrow-sucking." Spike said as he wiped the blood from his nose.

"I don't understand..."

"I don't understand why you were all letting them beat you to death!" Faith said simply slouching against the counter.

"They seemed to be wearing invisibility cloaks." Willow said looking sadly at Tara.

"I'm sorry... I'm s-so sorry..." she responded quietly. "I w-was just trying to hide... the spell went wrong..."

"Tara, what...?"

"I didn't want you to see... what I am."

"What you are?"

"I told you," Faith watched as Mr Maclay joined in Willow and Tara's conversation, a smug smile crossing his face, "you try to run from it you'll put these people in danger."

"I didn't mean for anyone to get hurt."

"I'm still lost on the part where you don't want people to know what you are!" Buffy said, moving closer towards her.

"Demon." Mr Maclay answered for her. "The women in our family have demon in them. Her mother had it-"

"My dad used to say that." Faith nodded interrupting Tara's father. "Only he didn't use the word demon. He used to use words such as Evil, Sin, Satan…" Buffy placed her hand in Faith's as she trailed off.

But Willow wasn't listening, she was focusing solely on the girl in front of her. The girl she loved. The girl who had lied to her.

"You put a spell on us," Giles suddenly spoke up, "to keep us from seeing your demon side. That's why we couldn't see our attackers."

"You could have got them killed." Buffy frowned at the girl, after sending a protective glance at Dawn who had emerged from under the desk.

"I'll go." Tara sniffed, looking around the room but never meeting anyone's eye line. "I'm very sorry."

"The camper's outside." Her father nodded.

"Wait! Go? She just did a spell that went wrong! Buffy," she suddenly spun around looking for support, "it was just a mistake!"

"It's not the point and it's not your concern. The girl belongs with us. "We know how to control her problem."

"Tara, look at me." Willow begged her girlfriend. "I trusted you more than anyone in my life. Was all of that a lie?"

"No! No..."

"Do you want to leave?"

"That is not your decision, young lady-"

"I know that." Willow snapped at the man before turning her attention back to Tara, no longer caring that everyone could see the tears falling down her face, "Do you want to leave?"

Faith watched as Tara shook her head ever so slightly.

"You are going to do what's right, Tara. Now I am taking you out of here before somebody _does_ get killed. The girl belongs with her family, I hope that's clear to the rest of you."

"Yeah," Faith nodded stepping between the girl and her father, "I don't think you're going to be taking Tara anywhere."

"What?"

"You want to take Tara out of here against her will, then you got to come through us." Buffy gestured between herself and Faith.

"And me." Dawn moved besides them.

"Is this a joke? I am not gonna be threatened by three little girls."

"You don't want to mess with us." Dawn warned him, her arms folded across her chest.

"She's a hair puller." Buffy explained pointing to Dawn, "And Faith's a Southie."

"And you're not just dealing with three little girls." Giles stepped in line besides Faith.

"You're dealing with all of us-"

"Except me."

"-Except Spike." Xander finished.

"This is insane! You people have no right to interfere in Tara's affairs. We are her blood kin!" Faith was astounded at how similar this man was to her own father. "Who the hell are you?"

"We're family." Buffy explained simply.

"Tara, if you don't get in that car," Donny suddenly stepped forward and into Tara's face. "I swear by God I'm gonna beat you down."

"And I swear by God," Faith stepped back in between him and his sister, "you lay a hand on her I will break you."

"And I swear by your full and manly beard," Xander moved besides her, "I'll let her."

"Well," Tara's cousin suddenly piped up from the shop entrance, "I hope you'll all be happy hanging around with a _disgusting_ demon."

Anya stepped around from behind the counter and raised her hand, reminding everyone that she was there. "Excuse me. What kind?"

"What?"

"What kind of demon is she?" Anya elaborated growing in confidence, "There's a lot of different kinds, some are very, very evil, some have been considered to be useful members of society..."

"Well, I don't... what does it matter?" the girl frowned back at her.

"Evil is evil."

"Well, let's narrow it down..." Anya said.

"Why don't I make this simple..." Spike stepped over the demon he'd killed and walked up towards Tara. He punched her quickly and sharply in the nose before suddenly roaring with pain.

"Hey!" Willow reacted with anger before realising what he'd done. "Hey!" she smiled at her girlfriend.

"He hit my nose!" Tara sobbed.

"And it hurt! I mean; him!"

"And that only works with humans..." Buffy smiled smuggly at the Maclays.

"There's no demon in there." Spike sighed, his hand still at his temple. "That's just the family legend, am I right? Bit of spin to keep the ladies in line? Oh, you're a piece of work. I like you."

"I'm not a demon?" Tara smiled to Willow.

"You're not a demon."

"He hurt my nose."

"Yeah, you're welcome." Spike said.

"Mr. Maclay," Giles offered the man a false smile. "I'd say your business here is finished."

"Unless you really would like me to break you all." Giles took Faith by the shoulder and held her back.

"Tara... for eighteen years your family has taken care of you and supported you, if you want to turn your back-"

"Dad." Faith was so impressed to watch as Tara moved towards her father and looked towards him with quiet strength. "Just, go." Faith could only hope that if she ever saw her father again she would finally be able to stand up to him too.

* * *

She pulled open the door and was surprised to see Faith still in her school uniform. Not been home yet, was all she received by way of an explanation. That and a shrug of her shoulders. She hadn't seen Faith for a couple of days, she assumed it was because she'd revealed a little too much of herself to the others. She always pulled away when she felt she'd shown too much.

What amazed her, however, was the fact that Faith took her by the hand and led her back into her house. Faith barely touched Buffy within a block of Revello Drive just in case someone spotted them. Just in case someone, somewhere thought she might be gay.

Faith pulled her through the house ignoring Buffy's questioning. She pulled her up the stairs and only stopped when she spotted Joyce, fixing her makeup, in her en suite.

"I'm dating your daughter." She said quietly to the bathroom tile. "I don't know what it means, or where its going. But we've been dating for a while and its my fault Buffy didn't tell you." She turned towards Buffy and shot her a sad smile, "Taken me a couple of days to build up the courage to do this. My dad doesn't like gays, or the Polish," she explained to Mrs Summers who was just looking on in amazement, "I was raised to believe that this is something to be ashamed of."

Buffy waited as her mother processed the information Faith had handed her.

"Why doesn't your father like Polish people?" Joyce asked after a pause.

"Something about jobs," Faith shrugged, "and getting all the best Popes... Or Popes and getting all the best jobs."

"Your family is Catholic?"

"Only my dad and then its only the bigotry bits. My mom was too into drugs to bother with God."

"And you're dating Buffy?"

Faith remained silent. Buffy squeezed her hand tighter and brought it closer to her body. "Yes Mom."

"If you're lesbians now," Dawn asked from behind Buffy and Faith, "does that mean you're going to be doing spells too?"

"Oh my God, _Dawn_!" Buffy let go of Faith's hand and chased her sister back into her bedroom. Faith listened as the two argued about eavesdropping, but she was brought back into the room when Joyce pulled her into a hug.

I've always liked you, was whispered into her ear.

* * *

Thank you all very much, Circus


	4. Laughing as I Pray

Summary: This is a sequel to my story A Creature I Don't Know which can be found here: s/8467907/1/A-Creature-I-Dont-Know

A/N: I strongly recommend a good understanding of season 5 to follow this: Fool For Love especially for this update.

Disclaimer: Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, 20th Century Fox, UPN and WB Television Networks own the television shows, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel". Dark Horse and IDW own the Comics. No copyright infringement is intended, no money is being earned by myself. The title of each chapter, and the story as a whole, come from K's Choice songs/Album titles. (Given that I had soundtrack for the first I thought I should have one for the second).

Thank you all for your kind words and support for my last story. I hope you enjoy my continuation of it. I would love to hear your thoughts on my thoughts. Many thanks.

* * *

4. Laughing As I Pray

She'd been studying. Giles was making her re-sit her SATs and had managed to convince she might want to revise for them this time round. He'd gone to bed a few hours ago, it was simply her and her books now. She hadn't heard Buffy climb through her window, she'd had her headphones in, the volume slightly too loud.

Buffy had had to tap her on the shoulder and then react quickly as Faith instinctively threw a punch assuming an attack.

"Jesus!" Faith exclaimed clutching her hand to her heart. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Bleeding, mainly." Buffy sighed, dropping down onto the bed and gingerly lifting up her top. The blood had already started to clot around the cotton. It was going to be a nightmare to get it cleaned up.

Faith fell to her knees and looked closely at the wound. She saw the blood, she saw the cotton, but she also saw a couple of splinters. "You got staked?"

"I got staked with _my_ stake." Buffy nodded, pulling at a couple of the strands she could see around the edge of the injury.

Faith looked at the damage. It was a few inches below the heart and already starting to heal. She wondered if she'd been off the mark that night, if Mr Finch had been slightly stronger… Her own abdomen twinged with a sense of phantom pain. She wondered if Buffy had thought of her as the wood had penetrated her skin. She wondered if Buffy worried that she might die. She wondered if Buffy worried that Faith might of died that night.

She shook her head. Now was not the time.

She pushed herself back up to her feet and headed downstairs. She filled a bowl with warm water a gathered a couple of bits and pieces from the bathroom before returning to her bedroom. She handed the bowl and a clean flannel to Buffy to get started with before diving below her bed. She emerged again with a small wooden box and pulled out a needle and thread from within it.

"Don't give me that look." Faith said as she held up the two to the light trying to find the eye. "We get cuts, bumps, bruises and sometimes we get them bad; I hate hospitals." She managed to get the thread through the needle, a feat she'd thought would take longer given she'd taken her contacts out over an hour ago when she found she'd been getting tired. "Do you want to do this or shall I?"

"Shouldn't you buy me dinner first, or at least spend a couple of years in med school?" Faith handed the needle to Buffy. The blonde held the needle tentatively to her skin before passing the object back. "You better make this up to me."

"I let you have sex with me." Faith smiled up at her as she started to sew her back together.

"With you," Buffy gritted her teeth as the metal cut through her, "I don't think its ever a case of _let_."

"You trying to say I'm easy, girlfriend?"

They fell into silence, a quiet that was only broken by Buffy's hushed inhales of pain, as Faith finished the last of the stitches.

"I'll wake up Giles and I'll walk you home. If you don't think you're mom would mind I'd like to stay over, check it," she nodded to her stomach, "before I head over to school. And tomorrow afternoon, we'll deal with whatever this thing was that attacked you."

"Thing?" Buffy frowned down at her. "It was just a vampire."

* * *

She'd dropped Dawn off at school for Buffy. Dawn had still excited from being involved in a Slayer-related-Mom-cover-up-thing and being crowned as the short, annoying man. She was too much for Buffy this morning. Buffy was struggling to move around the house without her mother noticing she was wincing. Anything else was beyond her.

Faith ducked into town during her lunch hour and headed towards the mausoleum Buffy had described to her. She kicked open the door and bathed the dark space in light. She looked around as the vampires started to stir around her. She was blocking the only exit. She was running the show now.

The last time she'd hit a nest during the day, Buffy had stood by her side. So much had changed since then. She barely had time for slaying between school and Giles' curfew. Occasionally, when she lay awake at two in the morning she thought about sneaking out and fighting a couple to dull the itch. She would always consider the man sleeping in the room besides her though and try and find something else to occupy her mind.

Buffy's injury told her that she needed to be out there. Slayers had an expiry date. It was her job to keep Buffy going as long as possible. It was her job to help.

She never slept at night anyway.

Giles would have to see that now.

She knew he was trying to save the girl by suppressing the slayer within, but maybe they were entwined. Maybe she could be both.

* * *

The others had gone home hours ago. Now they sat comparing each others findings. Giles would punctuate their reading by placing another book on the pile every so often, open on a page he deemed helpful. Aside from that they were still.

Faith could sense Buffy's irritation growing. She'd lost the battle last night and she'd got scared. Last time she'd died she been fighting a master, a prophecy, a destiny. This time she had just been fighting herself.

Last year Faith had read a lot of books about their shared history. A journal by a past slayer that Giles thought she'd relate to, old Watcher diaries, histories and council theories. All to help her better understand herself. Now she was rereading Dickens and leaning over textbooks. She wondered when he'd given up on the slayer on her. She wondered when he'd deemed her a failure and thought best to save the girl and the girl alone.

She needed to be out there. She missed being out there. The night still called to her. One day the shouts were going to be too loud to silence. They would erupt. They would scream. She would bleed.

It was when Buffy realised that the best account would come from someone who had killed two Slayers did Faith lose patience with the game. She swore, she yelled, she stormed out. But Buffy was not to be deterred. She was to speak to Spike about how the girls died.

* * *

She arrived at Xander's appartment with six bottles of beer. When he let her in she explained that none of them were for him. He enquired about her upcoming SATs and she reluctantly passed him one of the bottles. He asked her when they were due to start and she passed him the rest.

"Do I want to know what you're doing here in such a fowl mood?"

"Not that we don't like having our night of sex interrupted by an angry slayer." Anya nodded opening one of the bottles.

"I'm here to complain about vampires and you're here to listen."

"Well that sounds like much more fun than sex!" Anya nodded, heading over to the sofa and flicking on the television.

Xander wrapped an arm around Faith and ushered her further into his home. He gave her back one of her beers and rescued the remote from his girlfriend.

"I'm thinking an old fashioned made for TV movie."

* * *

She walked across town all set to apologise to the girl. She and Xander had worked out a 'I'm sorry I over reacted' speech together. Anya had simply recommended that she got her breasts out. Xander always liked it when she got her breasts out. Lesbians liked breasts. Faith was a lesbian now – with Buffy – she should get her breasts out.

She was ready to say sorry, move on and nothing more would be said about it. They would kiss, make up and she would go home and go back to studying for her SATs. She would go back to suppressing the slayer within. It was all planned. All worked out.

That was until she saw Spike sat on her back porch with a hand on Buffy's shoulder.

She was on him in an instant. His back was pressed up against the wall. His body pushed against it so hard his feet were off the ground.

"Bloody hell, Slayer!" He hissed as she pushed her forearm against his neck.

If he was a man he would have died.

"Faith." Buffy placed an arm on her shoulder and tried to ease the girl.

"What the hell is going on?" she growled. "Why the hell is he here?"

Buffy, knowing she was unable to reach her, punched the girl and forced her to drop the vampire.

Faith placed her hand to her cheek as she bit her tongue. All her instincts were screaming at her to punch her back. All her instincts were roaring at her to fight. She simply pointed to the gun that lay abandoned on the decking and then back to the creature cupping his neck, trying to catch a breath he didn't need.

"You let _that_ touch you." was all she managed by way of a response.

"Mom's got to go into hospital. They don't know what it is."

Faith simply held the crying girl, the argument forgotten, as the vampire slunk back into the night.

* * *

Once again, thank you for all your responses. Circus.


	5. The Ballard of Lea and Paul

Summary: This is a sequel to my story A Creature I Don't Know which can be found here: s/8467907/1/A-Creature-I-Dont-Know

A/N: I strongly recommend a good understanding of season 5 to follow this: Shadow especially for this update.

Disclaimer: Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, 20th Century Fox, UPN and WB Television Networks own the television shows, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel". Dark Horse and IDW own the Comics. No copyright infringement is intended, no money is being earned by myself. The title of each chapter, and the story as a whole, come from K's Choice songs/Album titles. (Given that I had soundtrack for the first I thought I should have one for the second).

Thank you all for your kind words and support for my last story. I hope you enjoy my continuation of it. I would love to hear your thoughts on my thoughts. Many thanks.

* * *

5. The Ballad of Lea & Paul

Dawn had been asking questions. They were incessant, they were inconsequential, they were being asked purely to fill the air. Faith had managed to answer them all though; a CAT scan was apparently a Computed Axial Tomography. It was being used to take 3D pictures of her mother's brain. It was even able to do it layer by layer. It was incredible really.

While Faith's answers managed to placate Dawn, they did nothing to make Buffy feel any better. If it was any other time, if it was anybody else's mother, Buffy would have been impressed at the knowledge that her girlfriend had buried within her. Proud that she was applying herself. However, it was her mom that was being taken apart layer by layer. It was her mom they were searching deep within to find out what was going wrong.

The nothing was definitely something and the something had the doctors running scared.

After what felt like hours she left them to each other, she kissed each of them on the cheek before heading off in search of answers. Buffy returned to the pair wishing she hadn't left them. Ignorance is bliss. She looked around the waiting room. This wasn't the place. She pulled up her sister by the hand and walked her to the canteen. Her girlfriend duly followed.

A shadow. An operation. All routine. It would all be fine. Nothing to worry about.

She told the pair of them to return to school but both shook their heads and Faith took her hand. She would wait. Last years SAT scores were pretty damn respectable. With a good set of finals, she'd be swinging. Dawn stubbornly insisted that if Faith got to miss school, so did she. So they returned to the waiting room. They returned to waiting.

Dawn was asleep by the time the doctor re-emerged. Buffy rose and Faith duly followed. Their hands entwined as they prepared for the news. He asked her to sit. She'd been sitting for hours, she didn't need to sit, she just needed to know.

Brain tumour.

He said a lot more than that, but she wasn't able to recall any of the details. He asked her questions. About her mother's cell phone, about the house, about their medical insurance.

His lips were moving, she didn't know what he was saying. He could have been telling her that there was a cure. He could have been reciting the lyrics to the Hokey Pokey. All she knew was that her mother had a brain tumour.

An intern came and rescued her from Dr Isaacs. She recognised him, she almost remembered his name. Dan? Sam? Ben? She just knew that he'd managed to get the doctor to go away. That, and her mother had a brain tumour.

She turned round to Faith,asked her to wake up Dawn and walk her to school for her. She had to do something, there must be a spell. Something. Anything. She knew Faith hated magic, that she didn't trust it but Faith's opinion was meaningless right now; all that mattered was that her mother had a brain tumour.

* * *

Faith realised that they must look pretty bizarre to passers by. Herself still in her school uniform, a young teenager sat besides them, both of them with melting ice creams as they watched the carousel turn round and round.

Buffy had told her not to tell Dawn anything. If the girl asked, she was to tell her that they were still waiting. She'd been meant to walk her to school, but Faith didn't want to return to the classroom, she knew that Dawn would want to go even less.

Dawn had been talking to her for a while but she hadn't been paying attention. The ice cream dripped slowly onto her hand. Had the weather been warmer she might have attracted wasps. If it had been any other day she might have cared.

"I understand you know." Dawn said after a while. Faith simply frowned at the young girl besides her. "About you and Buffy, I mean."

"Understand?"

"Yeah. Her and Angel had this fairy tale love for each other…" had Dawn noticed the ice cream cone crushed in Faith's palm she might have stopped. But she didn't. "…they would fight, she would cry. He went evil, tried to kill us all. He got cured and they loved again and she cried again."

Faith dumped her ice cream in the trash can besides her and wiped the worse onto the wood of the bench, the rest onto her tights.

"With you and her it's the same."

"I'm nothing like Angel, Sunny D."

Dawn simply shrugged and they fell back into silence. Watching as the horses were forced to continuously dance in front of them.

"Is Mom going to die?"

"My mom died. She was a loser - weak. Your mom's a fighter. She's not going to die."

"Promise?"

"Would I lie to you?"

* * *

Faith returned Dawn to the Magic Box and found everyone staring at Buffy. She figured they'd been told about Joyce. She hoped nothing would be said to Dawn. She shouldn't find have to find out, not like this. Not knowing that everyone else had already been told. She approached the table, Dawn in her shadow. Buffy spotted her, grabbed her by her bicep and pulled her into a corner.

"Giles screwed up." She told Faith quietly.

"Sure picked a hell of a day to do it."

"We need to go find Gorgon of the Jungle."

"Can I be dressed in something a little less Catholic?" Faith motioned up and down her school uniform.

"No, I think the innocent Eve look will be perfect for our serpent."

* * *

Buffy filled Faith in everything she'd missed, explained about Giles serving the demon woman everything she needed to create a monster. Faith merely shrugged. Buffy was amazed that she seemed unfazed that they were going hunting for a woman with an obscene amount of strength who's plan was to raise a giant cobra. Faith simply made a joke about spiders. She hated spiders.

Buffy sent her into Sunnydale Zoo's Reptile House first. The plan was simple. Faith was to walk in, speak loudly about researching snakes for a school project and disrupt the chanting and the ritual. Buffy would enter when things got hairy. The woman couldn't possibly take on two slayers.

"Excuse me!" Faith interrupted a woman that fitted Buffy's description. "I'm looking for the cobra but its not in its house, and the glass is all smashed. Has someone told the keeper?"

"What?" The woman frowned back at her.

"Well, if there's a cobra on the lose-"

"Oh its not on the lose!" The woman suddenly broke into a wide smile. "He's in there, I'm going to make that worm a star!" She pointed to the urn on the floor and Faith's attention was suddenly brought to a robed man – she assumed it was a male – in the corner. "Now, if you don't mind," she back handed Faith across the fake cave, "we were chanting! Well, chant then, minion!"

Faith rose slowly and rubbed the back of her head. She took a moment to reassess the situation and went to punch the woman.

"That should have killed you." The woman frowned at her, grabbing Faith's fist within her own. "Why aren't you dead?"

"I don't get why you dye your hair that colour but I guess we're both left with unanswered questions." Faith said with a sigh and a shrug of her shoulders before hitting her with her left hand trying to free her right.

"Hey! My. Hair. Looks. Great." Each word was punctuated with a punch.

"You're fiesty." Faith smiled ducking the last attack. "I seem to be attracted to that in women, especially when they hit me." She nodded kicking her legs out from under her. "I guess it all stems from the odd relationship I had with my mother."

"You," she held pinned Faith up against the wall, "should be quiet. And you…" she trailed off when she found her robed creature was being held in a headlock by Buffy, "should be chanting..."

"You just can't get the minions any more, can you?" Buffy said innocently. "Wanna trade?"

"Sure." The woman nodded, taking Faith firmly by her neck and lifting her above her head. "This one's not giving me anything I can work with." She sighed throwing her across the room and clattering into Buffy.

Faith landed heavily and Buffy waited for Faith to rise again but she didn't move from where she'd fallen. She looked up at the woman. "What kind of demon-bitch are you?"

"Please, call me Glory." She smiled back at her before tossing her against the cave wall with the same ease in which she'd thrown Faith. She lifted her sycophant up and dusted him off. "How hard is it to keep chanting?" she asked him as she stood him back on his feet.

Buffy could only watch as Glory came towards her, lifted her once more, threw her into one of the terrariums and finished the ritual. As the snake rose she and Faith were forgotten to her. They weren't her concern – she had what she wanted. They'd barely managed to stand in her way, they could never have stopped her.

She fell out of the container and crawled towards Faith. She scooped up the battered and bruised body of her girlfriend and carried her to safety.

* * *

She called into the Magic Box from the hospital. She'd left Faith to the ER nurses. They were worried for her but assured her that she would be okay. But then the doctors had said the same about her mother.

She walked between hospital wings, checking on the progress of her mother and her girlfriend. Giles was looking after Dawn, they still didn't know what the snake was for. Supposedly, no news was good news.

When Faith woke up she asked if they'd won. She joked about feeling like Xander as her left hand went to her bandaged head. Her right wrist was strapped up, she wriggled her fingers, it wasn't broken and her head felt fine.

The hospital had wanted to keep her. They were worried about a girl being carried into the hospital looking as though she'd been hit by a truck. They'd gone over her medical records, found her in care and with a history of serious injuries.

She was 18 though, she discharged herself and thanked them for their concern. She would not be kept any longer.

She and Buffy walked slowly back to the Magic Box. Mrs Summer's was awake, Faith had removed all her bandages while she'd waited outside the room while she and Buffy had spoken with the doctors. It wasn't good. It was a brain tumour it was never going to be good. She squeezed Buffy's hand and apologised for not stopping the demon woman. Glory. Her name was Glory.

They walked into the shop hand in hand, their arrival, sounded by the bell above the door, was greeted by Dawn running across and wrapping her arms tightly around Buffy.

"Is she awake yet?"

"Yeah, she's waiting for us."

"Can we take her home now?"

"Give her a while," Faith filled Buffy's pregnant pause, "she's still a little groggy."

"Any monster reptile sightings?" Buffy looked up to the others watching them.

"None." Giles shook his head.

"Tara and I did a mini-patrol earlier," Willow offered, "but the big snakie was nowhere in-" She was shocked into silence by the serpent breaking through the shop window.

The creature knocked Faith and then Buffy across the room in its bid to get further into the shop. It looked around for just a moment before it spotted what it came for.

Dawn was terrified, shaking as she stood in the middle of the shop. Instinctively she screamed. But the snake came no closer to her. It looked her up and down before spinning round and slithering away. As suddenly as it had come, it was gone.

"Why was the big snake afraid of Dawn?" Willow asked.

"It knows." Buffy said to Giles. She turned to speak to Faith but she'd already leapt through the broken window and headed after the monster.

Faith ran as fast as she could. After months of inactivity her legs carried her faster than she could ever have imagined. It was as if her legs had simply been waiting for the right time to come back into their own.

Giles and Buffy pulled up in his car besides her, she jumped into the back seat and they continued in their pursuit of the demon. It wasn't until the creature slithered into one of Sunnydale's grander public parks did the girls abandon the man and his car.

As if in sync the girls wordlessly flanked the beast. It was Buffy who leapt onto the creatures back. Faith ran along side the girl and the snake as it continued on its path. She spotted a chain, with a sign dangling limply from its links, suspended between two poles. Without breaking stride she pulled the metal from its holders and threw it up to Buffy.

Faith could only watch as the monster reared up, squealing as it tried to buck Buffy from it's back. She hung on and pulled the chain tighter and tighter against its throat. Its squeals were reduced to croaks as it found it could no longer draw breath. It slunk to the ground as it lost consciousness.

Buffy hit the ground hard as the creature suddenly rose, like Lazarus, from the dead. By the time she'd rolled to a stand, Faith had tackled the monster. Faith hit and hit the creature, tearing its face apart. It was beyond dead by the time Buffy pulled her from it. She had to physically restrain the girl to stop her from returning to the snake.

Giles was waiting for them on the road. The engine was still running. Buffy took the back seat, insisting that Faith take the front. No one said anything about the blood covering Faith's hands and uniform.

Faith was taken home to bed, she needed to recover, she needed to be strong. One of them needed to be strong. Buffy returned to the hospital with Dawn. It was time to talk about their mother.

One of them needed to be strong.

* * *

Thank you, Circus


	6. Until I'm Fine

Summary: This is a sequel to my story A Creature I Don't Know which can be found here: s/8467907/1/A-Creature-I-Dont-Know

A/N: I strongly recommend a good understanding of season 5 to follow this: Listening to Fear especially for this update.

Disclaimer:Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, 20th Century Fox, UPN and WB Television Networks own the television shows, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel". Dark Horse and IDW own the Comics. No copyright infringement is intended, no money is being earned by myself. The title of each chapter, and the story as a whole, come from K's Choice songs/Album titles. (Given that I had soundtrack for the first I thought I should have one for the second).

Thank you all for your kind words and support for my last story. I hope you enjoy my continuation of it. I would love to hear your thoughts on my thoughts. Many thanks.

* * *

6. Until I'm Fine

Faith walked into the hospital room with Willow. So far she had managed to find excuses to avoid going into Joyce's room; she had to cover slaying, she had too much homework. For her though, the only reason she needed was because she didn't like hospitals. Aside from all the time she'd spent locked in a bed there was the fact that the last time she'd seen her own mother was when she'd be laid bare on the gurney.

Alcohol poisoning.

The numerous STDs and fun little drug habit she'd picked up from her job hadn't helped; but it was the alcohol that eventually killed her.

Willow had dropped Faith's birthday present in front of her and then swiftly picked it back up once she knew she had the girl's attention. Willow had smiled at the power she had with such a small gift. She didn't realise that such simple things as friends and small gifts were still a novelty to Faith. Willow had told her she'd get her gift with the others: in Joyce's hospital room.

Faith didn't want to see the woman so frail, so ill, so bereft of life. Willow simply took her hand and told her that she needed to be strong. Someone had to be strong.

"Care package!" Willow smiled as they walked into the small room. "Special delivery for the Summers girls."

Willow dropped a large gift bag on the table across Joyce's bed, Faith simply slipped into the corner. She didn't want to see Joyce like this. She couldn't she Joyce like this.

"Now let's see what I have in this sack of mine. Oh, I feel just like Santa Claus." The only person who was sharing Willow's enthusiasm was Dawn though. Faith watched as the girl poked about the bag as Willow babbled on. Dawn needed this, she shouldn't have to see her mom like this. Any distraction was important.

"Beer hat!" Willow smiled at everyone, though clearly rapidly losing confidence. "See, it's got cup holders and straws that go straight to your mouth and you can fill it with other things than beer... and somehow when I was in the store this seemed like the most important idea and now there's this whole part where I'm crazy..."

"It's perfect. Thank you, Willow." Joyce smiled up at her. "You're so sweet."

"Let me see, who's next? Dawn, I believe I have something in here for you."

Faith drifted into the room as she watched Joyce's hand head to her temple. "Headache?" She and Buffy asked her in unison.

"A little one." She nodded. "A biggish little one. I'm fine. Now go on, what else is in that sack of goodies, Willow?"

"Alright. Dawn, to keep you busy..." Willow pulled a book out of her bag and passed it to the young girl. Faith smiled when she spotted it was an introduction to spells book.

"Wow, cool. Thanks Willow!"

"You got her a book of spells?" Buffy sighed as she watched her sister retreat to the chair in the corner to start her new book. "The girl who can break things by looking at them now has a book to teach her how to, you know... break things by looking at them."

"It doesn't actually have the spells. It's just history, anecdotes, stuff like that." Willow shrugged before delving back into her bag. "Oh Buffy. Here. I have this for you." She passed her a textbook.

"Homework? Ugh. I don't believe in tiny Jewish Santa anymore." Willow smiled apologetically before passing Buffy yo-yo to go with it. "The book is just in case you get a chance to look it over. And Faith," she spun round to face Faith and passed her a small neatly wrapped parcel. "your birthday present."

"Oh my god I completely forgot." Buffy looked at her girlfriend.

"Don't sweat it, B. You've got stuff-"

"I'd rip it in half and then put it in bed with me."

"Mom?" Buffy looked at her mother, searching for anything to say that she had been in control of what she'd just said. But there was nothing there.

"I think I'll take a rest now." She managed a half smile by way of a return.

Faith indicated for Dawn to follow her into the corridor and left Buffy to take care of her mom.

"She seems... She's gonna be fine." Willow smiled at Dawn as she and Buffy left the room after them.

"What was she talking about? I mean, that was weird."

"It's okay." Buffy reassured her sister. "The doctor warned me about it. I should've told you. It's just the... it's the thing in her brain, it sort of... presses on something and it can make her say weird things."

"Does she know she's saying it?"

"Not really. I guess it's sort of like a flash. You saw, the second after she said it, she was normal."

"And after the operation... no more pressing." Willow smiled.

"Your mom will be back to telling you to tidy your room and do your homework just like that." Faith added.

"Is that right?"

"Hey, Santa and birthday girls don't lie. What did the birthday girl get anyway?" Buffy asked Faith taking the unwrapped gift from her hand. "Is this Harry Potter?"

"In Latin!" Willow smiled proudly.

"You read Harry Potter?" Buffy frowned at her girlfriend.

"Well Red got me the original when I... When I..."

"When you?"

"…was in hospital."

"Oh."

"Why were you in hospital?" Dawn asked Faith, oblivious to the awkward conversation surrounding her.

"You remember when I was in the wheelchair?" Dawn simply nodded. "Its all to do with that."

"But people get better!" Willow said quickly trying to move the conversation on. "Like your mom will."

The conversation might have continued that way, forced positives to placate the young girl but the four of them were distracted by a family passing them in passage. They might have continued that way had the man not accosted Dawn.

_What is this thing? There's no facts..._

* * *

Faith looked around the field, her arms crossed across her chest as Giles examined the meteorite more closely. She didn't want to be out in the cold, in the middle of night with the others – she needed to be back on Rovello Drive. Joyce was being released into Buffy's care while she waited for her operation. Buffy needed help.

Dawn needed help.

She shook her head and picked up speed so she was walking besides Giles and Willow. She caught the tail end of their conversation and smiled at Tara, "Stargazing, huh?" she mouthed at her.

Tara blushed a little before replying, "I know stuff."

"About stars?" Faith frowned in mock sceptism.

"Erm, I don't think this is a star!" Giles interrupted them and drawing their attention to the smoking boulder and small crater blocking their path.

"We have meteorite." Willow nodded, leaning in for a closer look.

"Is it hot?" Anya asked her, "'Cause if there's radiation you'll go all sterile."

This last adage made Xander, who had been inching closer, back away.

"It's not hot." Willow told her, not looking away from the rock. "It's... broken. And... sort of... hollow. It's hollow." She turned round to face Giles repeating the word 'hollow' a couple more times.

"So we're all thinking the same thing, right?" Anya asserted.

"Festive pinata, delicious candy?"

"Something evil-crashed to earth in this. Then it broke out and slithered away to do badness."

"Slithered?" Faith interrupted the conversation around her. "Slithered? Must it have slithered I mean last time there was slithering I didn't fair so well."

"There are no tracks." Tara explained, pointing around them. "There is, however…" She broke herself off and grabbed Willow's hand before wandering into the direction she'd been looking at.

"We don't really know about the 'slithered' part." Giles tried to reassure Faith as they followed the girls.

"Oh, no." Anya nodded, "I'm sure it frisked about like a fluffy lamb."

"Neither of you are helping." Faith told them.

"There's no pulse." Willow said, once they had all caught up to the body she and Tara were kneeling before.

"The space lamb got 'im."

"I don't see any marks on him." Faith sighed, ignoring Anya, kneeling besides Willow. "Didn't we see this guy earlier?"

_What is this thing? There's no facts..._

"He was at the hospital, a mental patient." Willow nodded, before explaining to the others, "They released him today."

"Xander, what are you doing?" Giles scolded the boy as he watched him prod the body with a stick.

"Just making sure; things in this town have a tendency not to stay dead. You all remember Buffy's Dead Man's Party!" Xander explained as he continued to poke the man. He inadvertently knocked the man's jaw. "Oh god," Xander covered his mouth from the smell he'd caused. "Next time I get impulses to be manly, stop me."

"Yeah, poking dead things with sticks is the definition of manly." Faith nodded at him, pulling her shirt to cover her mouth and nose as she leaned in closer. She took the stick from him and investigated the man's mouth. "Yeah," she managed to get out before she dry heaved against the nearest tree. "The slithering lamb choked him to death with that nasty black stuff." She stood up and wiped her mouth. "Any one tell Buffy I nearly dropped my dinner and I'll kill you."

"How's your manly high road treating you?" Xander smiled at her. "I'm voting research." He announced raising his hand in the air after receiving a very cold look from Faith.

"I was going to suggest exploring a little further… heading into the woods a bit ...," Giles trailed off. "Research is a much better idea." He nodded.

* * *

"A Queller demon?" Faith frowned, holding Giles' cell phone to her ear as she looked around the hospital ward.

She had left the others to the books and found Spike. She'd pulled out Giles' wallet and asked him how much it would take to buy his mildly heightened sense of smell for the night. After negotiating prices and the assurance that nothing wooden and pointy would be driven anywhere into his chest Spike agreed.

After a couple of wrong turns Spike had eventually lead her back to the hospital she had been so keen to avoid. It was at the Mental Health Ward where she could send him back into the night - the smell was so bad that she didn't have to put up with any longer. Besides, he'd asked too many times if he could eat the dead patients.

"Yep. That's our perp." Willow asserted from the other end of the phone line. "It's a sort of a scavenger that can be summoned to kill-"

"Crazy people?"

"Yeah. How did you-"

"A mildly heightened sense of smell." Faith sighed looking around the ward once again. "And I've also got five stiffs here in the Mental Ward of Sunnydale Memorial. Shit." She suddenly slammed Giles' phone shut, cutting Willow off, and ran.

Faith ran until she was facing down Buffy's front door. She didn't know what she was expecting to find. The chances of a slithering creature from out of space deciding to invade this one house in particular were slim to none. But then again the changes of Mrs Summers, out of all the people in the world, to get a brain tumour – a brain tumour that made her act crazy – were very small too.

She knocked on the door, praying that she was just being paranoid and overprotective. She knocked again.

She knocked again.

Finding no answer she ran in. She found Buffy besides Spike and the creature in the dining room.

"You alright?" Faith asked, helping Buffy up.

Buffy simply ran past her and up the stairs, leaving Faith with Spike and the monster.

* * *

Sorry this took so long. Its coming though. Many thanks, Circus


	7. Me Happy

Summary: This is a sequel to my story A Creature I Don't Know which can be found here: s/8467907/1/A-Creature-I-Dont-Know

A/N: I strongly recommend a good understanding of season 5 to follow this: Into the Woods especially for this update.

Disclaimer:Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, 20th Century Fox, UPN and WB Television Networks own the television shows, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel". Dark Horse and IDW own the Comics. No copyright infringement is intended, no money is being earned by myself. The title of each chapter, and the story as a whole, come from K's Choice songs/Album titles. (Given that I had soundtrack for the first I thought I should have one for the second).

Thank you all for your kind words and support for my last story. I hope you enjoy my continuation of it. I would love to hear your thoughts on my thoughts. Many thanks.

* * *

7. Me Happy

"Is it weird that we are celebrating your mom's good health by having sex?" Faith asked Buffy as she held her close to her while they lay on the living room floor.

"Look," Buffy leant up on her elbow and stared down at the younger girl, "Dawn is staying the night at Xander's, my mom is safe and well at the hospital and while this is a Yay My Mom Survived Having Lots of Her Brain Removed Night I would really rather we didn't talk about her all that much!"

"Got it." Faith nodded pulling Buffy back down for a kiss and rolling on top of her.

"Bedroom. Now." Buffy managed to get out.

"Carpet burns-"

"-Are nobody's friend!" She told Faith as she pulled her to her feet and led her upstairs.

* * *

Faith watched her sleep besides her. She slowly managed to pull back her arm from under Buffy's head and eased her way out of bed. She looked around the room for her shirt before pulling it on. She didn't like her stomach being exposed. Not that Buffy ever noticed.

She wondered what it would take for Buffy to look at her. She wondered what it would take to get Buffy to remember. She wondered if it ever crossed her mind. She wondered if she simply skipped over it to make them both feel better.

Yet every time there was that elephant in the room.

The first few times Faith refused to remove her shirt, Buffy had laughed – even called her cute for being so self conscious – but hadn't pushed her any further. One night, for one fleeting moment Faith forgot.

So caught up in the moment, in her feelings for the girl she was kissing, for the girl she was about to have sex with, that she forgot. She pulled off her shirt and flung it across the room.

So amazed was Buffy at the breasts laid bare before her, at the sight of another woman's chest, at the notion that she was going to touch another woman's nipple for the first time that she never noticed the scar across Faith's abdomen. She never noticed the wound that had nearly killed the girl before her.

By the time Faith remembered it was too late, the damage had been done she could never hide her stomach from Buffy again.

Yet Buffy never noticed.

Faith made excuses for her. She had the weight of the world on her shoulders, Dawn, her mother's cancer. Yet Faith, as she looked back at the sleeping girl, wondered when excuses would run out.

She found the rest of her clothes and made her silent escape from the house. She intended to do a couple of brief sweeps of the town before heading back to Giles. She expected to be alone all night. She didn't expect to find him standing there.

"What you doing here, Spike? And keep it brief!"

"Out for a walk, bitch!" He smiled at her smugly.

"You came up with that very quickly, been rehearsing that, Billy Buddy?"

"Swearing at you is one of the few things I can do without setting of this infernal chip. So yeah, maybe!"

"You're pathetic." She told him as she walked away.

"You know she'll never love you!" He called after her.

This caused her to stop. She turned round and found him lighting another cigarette, his last adding to the pile of butts surrounding him.

She walked back to him and considered the position she found herself in before replying:

"At least she'd rather spend the nights with my warm body than pressed against your cold one."

With that she turned back and walked away.

* * *

She returned home to find Giles speaking on the phone. She saw his glasses resting on an open book, his right hand rubbing the bridge of his nose and an open bottle of scotch. She guessed the phone call was not going well.

She grabbed another glass from the sideboard, poured herself a drink and hopped up onto the desk waiting for his phone call to end. Giles rearranged his books and papers so she wasn't sitting on any of them while he tried to remain civil to whomever he was speaking to.

"I thought you'd be staying at Buffy's tonight." He said once he'd hung up.

"And I thought you'd be in bed by now." She replied as she poured them each another drink.

"I was calling London."

"All of it? That's a big phone bill heading your way."

He took a sip of his drink. "It was the Council I was specifically trying to get hold of." Faith simply raised her eyebrows. "I reached a dead end with my research, I can't find anything on this woman or what she would want with a key. _Dawn_." He rephrased.

"And the Council?"

"I'm going to fly out and look at their resources."

She stood up and finished her drink.

"I'm going to bed." She told him. "When I wake up and going to ask you if I can have some time off school and come too."

"When you wake up I'm going to ask you why you want to head into the belly of the beast."

"I'll probably just shrug my shoulders."

"I'll look forward to that conversation." He let her climb a couple of the stairs before calling out to her. "Is everything okay with you and Buffy?"

"Yeah," she called back to him continuing on her path to bed, "why wouldn't it be?"

* * *

Buffy held up the mirror while her mother rearranged the wig. She was finding it hard to keep both a straight face and the small hand held still.

"You don't think it's too obvious?" Her mother asked her, "I think I look like I have a cat on my head."

"But a very well groomed cat."

"Well that's a comfort." Joyce sighed back at her smiling daughter.

"I think it's fun." Buffy told her, putting the mirror down and sitting besides her. "We can get you a whole bunch of different wigs. You can be like - Action Mom, Sixties Mom, French Maid Mom... Maybe get a big green Grinchy-looking one for Christmas..."

"I must be getting better." She smiled at her, "You're making fun of me again."

"Well, yeah. I have a lot of lost time to make up."

"I think you have more important things to make up. I know you've been missing a lot of school..."

"I'm fine." Buffy reassured her mother, "Willow's been bringing me my work. I may have to take a few incompletes, but I'll get through the semester."

"Well what about slaying - and your friends? I want you to get back to your life."

"Faith's on the slaying gig right now, I mean she left-" she cut herself off when she realised what she was saying. "I will. I promise. But right now I'm more into being here - and styling your beautiful new plastic dream hair."

"Fair enough. But you don't have to keep me company all night. Go have fun. Get Faith to take you to a movie or something."

"I am having fun. Besides, I gave Faith the day off."

"I don't think she thinks of you as a chore, Buffy."

"Mom - I told Faith to make her own plans tonight because I wanted to have you all to myself. Okay? I can see her anytime." She made to rearrange her mother's new hair but thought better of it. "Besides, I'm sure she'll come around later looking for some- Bible study."

"Well - good." Joyce looked at her daughter a little uneasily. "As long as you two are getting come quality time with... the Lord."

"We are. Absolutely."

* * *

She stormed the crypt and had the vampire by the throat against the wall in an instance. As she pushed the wood through his chest the arm chair he'd been sitting in came to its final resting place on its side.

He roared in pain while she simply laughed. She'd let go of him. The force of her anger through his chest had the creature pinned to the stone wall by the wooden stake alone. He continued to roar as she picked up the chair, turned it to face him and sat down.

"Missed the heart." Faith smiled at him. "Must be losing my touch."

"And yet I'm still in pain." He complained as he pulled the stake from his chest and dropped to the floor. He cast the stake aside and crawled to his bottle of whiskey. He poured a little on the wound before downing the rest.

Faith watched as he gingerly got to his feet, walked to another bottle on the side and started to drink from the fresh source.

"I must admit I was expecting you earlier."

"I had some actual big bads to tackle last night. You could wait."

"Weren't afraid I'd slip in and snuggle with your sweetie?"

"She'd stake you. She wouldn't miss."

"Then why did you?" He asked her simply, surprising her by passing her the bottle. She was back on her feet and at him again.

"Don't be fooled; while I'm not in the business of killing innocent creature any more, I won't think twice about dusting you."

"Oh… man… you're really under it, aren't you?" He laughed at her. "Even if I am hot for your honey, that's not your problem. Even if I wasn't in the picture, you're never going to be able to hold onto her..."

Her left hand was suddenly at his throat and her right forced a new stake through his fresh wound.

"Ahhhh! Bloody hell-"

"Maybe I rethink my policy."

"Come on." Spike managed to breath out. "You're not the long haul and you know it-"

"Shut up-"

"You know it, or you wouldn't be here with me in the middle of the day." Her grip around his neck loosened, just a little. "Girl needs some man in her monster, and it's not in your…" He paused while he took her figure in. "No matter how low you try to go."

She dropped him once more and returned to the arm chair, snatching up the whiskey bottle as she went. "Do you actually think you've got a shot with her?"

"No, I don't. Fellow's gotta do what he can, though. Got to try."

"You touch her, you know I'd kill you, for real."

"I had this chip out, I'd a killed you long ago." Spike paused as he took in the girl in his arm chair drinking from his bottle. "Ain't love grand." Faith threw him the bottle. "Sometimes I envy you so much it chokes me. And then sometimes I think I've got the better deal. To be that close to her and not have her... To be all alone even when you're holding her, feeling her, feeling her beneath you, surrounding you, the scent of - no, you've got the better deal."

He passed the bottle back to her and watched as she took another drink from it. She sat it down on the arm while she adjusted her school uniform as she stood. Drink back in her hand she through it at the wall behind him. Missing his head by millimetres alone.

"Touch her. You die." And she returned to school.

* * *

Buffy knocked on the girl's bedroom door and was confused to see her packing an overnight bag.

"I thought you were going to come by after school?" She questioned her, taking a seat besides a couple of things waiting to be folded on Faith's bed.

"Something came up."

"Something involving packing?" Buffy asked her, taking a shirt from the girl and refolding it for you. "Not that I'm not used to seeing you pack, you seem to do it a lot."

"I'm a real badass when it comes to packing." Faith smiled weakly at her.

"Where are you going?"

"England with Giles."

"Belly of the beast, huh?"

"That's what he said." She nodded taking the shirt from her. "I'm not actually planning on going into the building, might give them too much opportunity to arrest me again." Buffy passed her another folded shirt. "Thinking I might take in a couple of sites. Buckingham Palace, Big Ben," she shrugged, "didn't really get the chance to last time."

"Last time?"

"You know when G and I went last year."

"Oh yeah…" Buffy nodded before frowning, "for the… the, uh…"

"His dad's funeral. You were too caught up with GI Joe to notice."

"When you phrase things like that you make me sound all Cordelia-y."

Faith moved the bag and the last couple of unpacked items and sat besides her.

"I need to get away for a bit."

"School getting too hard?"

Faith simply shook her head. "This is."

* * *

Thank you all for your continued support; would love to know what you think, Circus.


	8. I Will Return To You

Summary: This is a sequel to my story A Creature I Don't Know which can be found here: s/8467907/1/A-Creature-I-Dont-Know

A/N: I strongly recommend a good understanding of season 5 to follow this: Triangle especially for this update.

Disclaimer:Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, 20th Century Fox, UPN and WB Television Networks own the television shows, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel". Dark Horse and IDW own the Comics. No copyright infringement is intended, no money is being earned by myself. The title of each chapter, and the story as a whole, come from K's Choice songs/Album titles. (Given that I had soundtrack for the first I thought I should have one for the second).

Thank you all for your kind words and support for my last story. I hope you enjoy my continuation of it. I would love to hear your thoughts on my thoughts. Many thanks.

* * *

8. I Will Return To You

They had been training for an hour and yet neither had worked up a sweat. Having worked with her for five years now, he knew that keeping all of her attention focused on the task in hand was always half of the battle, however, he'd thought her mind would be asking him about Glory. He never even considered that their conversation would be centred around Faith.

Since he'd taken the younger girl into his home, he and Buffy seemed to come to an unspoken agreement that they wouldn't really talk about Faith. They had tried, at the beginning, but they realised if their own relationship was to continue then Faith should be ignored.

Consequently Buffy would never know that he had no such arrangement with Faith.

"Now switch. Right lead." Giles instructed as he rearranged the pads Buffy was hitting and kicking. "Saw that coming. You dropped your shoulder."

"I know you think that the council will know something but…" she paused as she threw a round house kick at Giles, "why is Faith going with you?"

Giles was caught offside by this question and Buffy's following kick.

"Let's, uh, take a break." He suggested, heading to the mats and something cold to put to his shoulder.

"Glory's all you're going to talk to them about, isn't it?"

"Thought you wanted to talk about Faith." He put to her as he passed her a drink. He noticed that she was finding something across the room very interesting. "I'm not going to mention Dawn's name." He reassured her. "I promise I would never do that."

"But you're going to tell them there's a key?" She stressed, still avoiding eye contact. "That Glory's looking for something called the key?"

"Knowing her goal is crucial. If anything will help them uncover her origins and plans..."

"I know, it's just that I trust those Watchers about at far as…" She looked at him briefly and found he was still nursing his arm, "…_you_ could throw them."

"Thank you very much."

"And I gotta say, I'm a little freaked out at the idea of them knowing anything that could point them to Dawn."

"Truly, Buffy, if I saw an alternative-"

"And Faith?"

"Faith would rather remove her tongue than tell the Council about Dawn." He smiled weakly at her.

"That's just the thing," he noted that she'd started to undo the bandaging around her hands, "Faith hates them more than I do. What with the arrest, the chains… Wesley!"

He simply watched and waited for her to ask him again.

But she never did.

She simply let them leave.

* * *

She spent the hour watching the clock. She spent the hour calculating the time difference between Sunnydale and London. She wondered what Faith was doing. She had vague images of England tucked away in the recesses of her subconscious. She pictured Faith standing outside historic monuments, drinking tea and eating scones. She wondered if they ate haggis in London.

As she found the rest of the class packing up their things and drifting out, she realised that she'd missed it all. All of a sudden she found herself wondering what the lesson had been about.

"New semester. New classes. Whole new vistas of knowledge to be confused and intimidated by." She told Tara as the left the lecture room.

"I think this one seems kind of fun. Greek art is going to touch on so many things, mythology and history and philosophy..." Tara watched as Buffy sent a worried look back into the room. "You can have my notes to go over."

"Thank you." Buffy smiled. "I need to keep this course. The only other thing that fits my schedule is Central American Geo-Politics and no thanks." She shook her head. "That sounds way more confusing than Greek stuff. Though," she dropped her voice into a whisper, "might be a little drier."

"We'll sit further back next time." Tara smiled back at her as the continued through the corridor. "Where were you for that hour?"

"Do they eat haggis in London?"

"Um, I think its black pudding." Tara frowned. "Missing them?"

"Is it ever hard with you two?"

"Me and Mr Giles? No." Tara shook her head. "Me and Faith?" She bit her lip as she tried to follow Buffy's train of thought.

"You and Willow?" Buffy explained as she found they'd come to a stop. "Faith said she was going to London because its hard."

"What's hard?"

"That's just it." She smiled satisfactorily. "She didn't say! I'm sure it was never this complicated with Angel." Tara simply shrugged. "Well it may have been." Buffy conceded. "But not for me the furrowed brow. How about we go collect Willow and maybe indulge in a little after-school hamburger or something?"

"I guess we could." Tara nodded, noticing that they were suddenly moving back through the hallway. "She might still be at the magic shop. I was there earlier and she and Anya got in this kind of little squabble. Xander and I sort of cleared out. He was pretty upset."

"Anya and Xander are in trouble?"

"Oh! No. I said that all wrong..." Tara tried to clarify concerned that they'd once again stopped moving. "It was nothing. Willow and Anya were sort of fighting and Xander kind of snapped at both of them and he left."

"He left? He left Anya?"

"Um… no. Not left her, left her. He just left. It was only a little thing. Really."

"A little thing? See, thing is, a little thing gets bigger. You don't catch the little thing and then boom, you've got this whole huge thing."

Tara looked uncomfortably round the corridor, she didn't think she was really following the flow of the conversation.

"Um…"

"But the thing is," Buffy continued, "the small things are always there."

"I guess." Tara nodded, not sure if she was meant to be joining in or not.

"If the small things are always there, they will inevitably become big things and big things will always be in the way. You know?"

"Maybe?"

* * *

Buffy sat at the end of her mother's dining room table and watched Giles and Faith interact along side her. Giles was talking about the state of his shop, Faith was smiling smugly as if the shop proved her distrust of magic.

When they'd entered the house she'd presented Dawn with an 'I heart LDN' t-shirt and her mother with a tea pot. She'd given her friends gifts as well, though Anya's present was simply a £10 note, Buffy waited for her turn.

She watched as the two interacted, she watched Faith's smile – so broad, so happy, so genuine. She wondered when the last time that smile had been used for her. She wondered if she ever made her that happy.

She thought back to when Faith first came to Sunnydale, after the mess with Kakistos, the two of them had had fun. Even after the hurt of Angel's revelation, Angel's return, they seemed to have fun. She wondered when the last time they had fun was.

Maybe there was no fun left to be had. Maybe simply too much had happened.

They would talk, they would kiss, they would…

It wasn't a relationship.

She was brought back into the room when her mother came in with a tray of tea and biscuits. She smiled to see that she was using the horrible touristy teapot Faith had brought her.

"Rupert, I still don't understand why those other watchers made you go all the way to England if they don't know anything."

"Its weird hearing you called Rupert." Faith smiled at him, snatching a biscuit from across the table. "Its Rip or G."

"You never told me why you were called Ripper." Joyce frowned as she poured them all tea.

"I'm sure you two were far to busy with the band candy for all that." Buffy sighed.

"Yes, well, quite." Giles blushed as he took a teacup from her mother. "Well, they don't know it yet. They had no record of Glory-"

"Nicely skipped over, G." Faith laughed as she took her own cup.

"-or anyone like her." Giles continued as if uninterrupted. "But based on what I've told them, they are going to look into it. They might have something soon."

"What about the key? Were they all over the key?"

"Yes…" he looked from Faith spooning heaps of sugar into her drink to Joyce. "You know all of this?"

"I got some of it myself. Buffy told me the rest."

"Well, they were interested, certainly. And full of theories-"

"Most of them crap from what you told me."

"I would have used the word nonsensical." Giles continued.

"But they didn't guess about Dawn." Buffy clarified, ignoring Faith. "They don't know it's her."

"No."

"I still can't even start to grasp this." Joyce said, finally sitting down herself. "She's my little girl."

"It is disorienting." Giles nodded.

"Giles, what happens if they figure it out?" Buffy pressed, pushing her tea to the side. "What would they do? What would happen?"

"I don't know."

The four of them dropped into silence.

"I'm glad you like the tea pot." Faith smiled.

"Yes," Giles sighed, picking it up and examining it. "It's a shame it didn't break on the flight back."

"I think its lovely." Joyce smiled once again at Faith. "I never knew the Queen would have such a large head."

"Novelty tat." Giles sighed once more.

"He said that for most of the three days we were away." Faith smiled.

"Where's my novelty tat?" Buffy asked her.

"I, um," Faith pushed her chair back, "I was going to give it to you later."

"Go on." Joyce nodded at the pair of them. "We'll get these." She told them as she picked up her Queen teapot and Giles collected the cups.

Buffy followed Faith out of the room and out of the house. She sat down on the swinging chair on the front porch while she waited for Faith to pull something out of her back pocket. She took the bent postcard from the girl and waited for her to sit down besides her before turning it over.

_I love you_, was all that was scrawled across the pack of the picture of Buckingham Palace.

Buffy looked from the postcard to the girl next to her.

"It's always been you, B." she said simply.

Buffy looked from the postcard to the girl next to her. She subconsciously traced over Faith's messy handwriting with her thumb.

It had always been her. She looked from the postcard to the girl next to her. Faith was right. It was too hard.

It wasn't a relationship. At least not for her.

* * *

Many thanks, Circus


	9. God In My Bed Part I

Summary: This is a sequel to my story A Creature I Don't Know which can be found here: s/8467907/1/A-Creature-I-Dont-Know

A/N: I strongly recommend a good understanding of season 5 to follow this: Checkpoint especially for this update.

Disclaimer:Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, 20th Century Fox, UPN and WB Television Networks own the television shows, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel". Dark Horse and IDW own the Comics. No copyright infringement is intended, no money is being earned by myself. The title of each chapter, and the story as a whole, come from K's Choice songs/Album titles. (Given that I had soundtrack for the first I thought I should have one for the second).

Thank you all for your kind words and support for my last story. I hope you enjoy my continuation of it. I would love to hear your thoughts on my thoughts. Many thanks.

* * *

9. God In My Bed: Part I

Faith looked around the living room, the stray dishes and abandoned soda cans. While she did what she could to help Buffy, but she found that Buffy didn't want her help. She knew that the girl was grateful that she went out each night patrolling in the dark, but when she came to the house in the day she found she was not wanted.

She found that Buffy was pulling away.

"I'll just get that..." Buffy nodded at her, indicating that Faith could sit back down, as she went to the door.

Faith simply watched as she returned to the room with Xander and Anya in tow.

"Sorry I'm late." He smiled at the all as he waved his cast sheepishly around at them all. "This thing makes driving an adventure in steering."

Xander looked for a place to sit and Buffy was forced to grab a pile of magazines from the only remaining chair for him.

"Dawn left those here..." She said passing them to Faith for her to find somewhere for them.

"It's all right, Buffy." Giles reassured her as he watched her busy herself with more tidying. "I know this meeting is short notice."

"Mom's still not a hundred percent," she answered without really hearing what he'd said, "and I guess I haven't really been taking up the slack..."

"The place looks fine, Buffy." Willow smiled at her, receiving the stack of magazines from Faith.

"There's, like, a sweater under the sofa." Xander complained. "Well, I can't get it. Your troll broke my wrist." He added when he noticed Willow's dirty looks.

"My troll?" She questioned as Buffy took the sweater.

Faith watched her examine her jumper, she hadn't seen it for a couple of weeks. She imagined she must have left it when she and Buffy had shared their celebratory evening together. Buffy simply threw it at her and continued tidying the room.

"I didn't create the troll..." Willow continued, "I didn't date the troll... In fact I hate the troll. I helped deflate the troll-" she found Tara's hand on her knee indicating that it was time she stopped. "All done."

"I've had some rather... I've had some news." Giles tried to gather everyone's attention. "It seems that the Council of Watchers has found some information that may help us out."

"About Glory?"

"Presumably." Giles nodded at Buffy. "We'll find out when they arrive. It could be quite important."

"Arrive?" Faith and Buffy said in unison.

"They're coming here? Now? Why do they have to come here?" Buffy continued.

"Yeah, don't they have phones?" Xander asked before trying to put on a British accent. "Hallo, Buffy, here's some stuff we know, pip pip."

"Yes. Phones!" Buffy pointed to Xander. "I'd like them to phone!"

"Seconded!" Faith said.

"What's so bad about them coming here?" Tara questioned, looking around them all. "Aren't they good guys? I mean, Watchers, that's just like whole other Gileses, right?"

"Except they like to arrest and deport me." Faith sighed. "Though, admittedly England isn't as bad as I thought." She shrugged, pulling up the bottom of her sweater to reveal that she too was wearing an 'I heart LDN' t-shirt.

"They're scary and horrible!" Buffy added looking, almost pleadingly towards Giles.

"They come across a little, well, a little hard-nosed, but they do share our agenda. They want to save the world, kill the demons-"

"Kill the current demons, right?" Anya checked. "_Current_ demons."

"Giles, I don't want them here." Buffy said. "I don't trust them. Make them not come here."

"They're probably already on the way." He looked back at her regretfully. "Our old friend Quentin Travers is heading up a delegation."

"They put me through that thing, that test and almost killed me-"

"Wes and his boys were pretty threatening," Faith nodded, "while I don't think Wes had the balls, I suspect the others would have offed me in an instant."

"Honestly, I cannot handle more almost being killed right now!" Buffy continued.

"I don't like the sound of this." Anya told Xander. "They don't sound ex-demon compatible."

"Are you sure they're English?" Tara asked Willow and Faith. "I thought English people were gentler than normal people."

"I met some tough ones in Soho." Faith shrugged.

"Maybe they won't be so bad this time…" Willow tried to comfort Buffy. "Plus," she looked to Faith, "you're good now, maybe they won't care enough to kill you."

"You weren't good?" Tara asked her.

"Re: wheelchair."

"Wheelchair?" Tara frowned.

"When did you start dating?" Faith frowned back at her looking between her and Willow.

"Enough!" Buffy suddenly announced bringing quiet to the room. "They're going to screw things up. Everything's kinda delicate right now. There's, you know, Dawn to take care of..."

"B," Faith rose to be at her side, "chill it."

"I can't chill it. I have Dawn to take care of."

"Yeah, but that's not new." Xander looked confused between the girls, "You always take care of her."

"I mean it's a dangerous time. Glory is out there somewhere and I don't want the council distracting me..." she looked to Faith, "…us…" she corrected "…or getting in the way. Giles, I don't need them looking over my shoulder when we're not even sure what we're dealing with..."

"But that's precisely why we need to talk to them..." Giles tried to persuade her, but her attention had left the room.

"Dawn! Are you listening?"

"I can get a snack if I want to." She called back to her sister from the hallway, her disgruntled footsteps back up the stairs clearly audible.

"She was listening." Buffy complained folding her arms across her.

"B!" Faith smiled nervously, an arm outstretched to her shoulder, "Chill it."

"I can't _chill _it." Buffy repeated, shying away from Faith's contact. "Sometimes we say stuff... I guess it's okay." She sighed noticing everyone's looks and the hurt she'd caused in Faith. "Giles, you were saying something."

"Just that if the Council knows something about Glory, her agenda, her origins, then maybe it will help us get a grip on what we're dealing with. Because, right now, I think we're a little lost." He looked to the girl across from him. The girl with her arms still folded across her. The girl that suddenly looked so old, so tired and so confused. The girl that was so lost.

* * *

Faith walked stride by stride with Buffy, while she could keep up with her along the street she found Buffy's mind a lot harder to follow. So far they'd discussed Rasputin, a mean lecturer, Spike, gratitude and then Rasputin again. Buffy suddenly stopped though and turned round to face her.

"I'm sorry," she apologised seemingly apropos of nothing. "I've been talking constantly since you met me. I've not even asked you how school was. You know, we don't focus enough on your school... uniform." Buffy said looking the girl up and down.

"You used to focus on it more." Faith smiled back at her. "But it's cool, you've had your mom, Dawn and this hell bitch to cope with."

"Yeah but you've had stuff too..."

"I've had math homework." Faith corrected.

"And Latin!" Buffy pointed out. "You take Latin too."

"Yup," Faith nodded as she opened the door to the Magic Box, "nothing is going to belittle my progress more than reminding me that I have Latin homework while you deal with your mom's can-" she stopped when she noticed a whole group of suited people staring at them. "If we walk away now they may not have spotted us."

"Told you I was having a bad day." Buffy sighed besides her.

"Miss Summers!" A man smiled broadly at her. "Good to see you again. And Miss Lehane," he held out his hand to Faith which she ignored, "while we've never met I've certainly heard a lot about you."

"Mr. Travers." Buffy nodded back at him.

"If we walk away now they may not have spotted us." Faith told her again.

"Mr Wyndam-Pryce said you had a sense of humour."

"Well time with Wes was just a laugh a minute." Faith sighed as she allowed herself to be led into the shop.

"Giles was just telling us about your training regimen. Perhaps you'll both favour us with a demonstration while we're here."

"You mean, like, right now?" Buffy asked, sending a nervous look towards Giles, "'Cause, already had my recommended daily dose of fights tonight."

"Did you then?" Giles appeared to be pleased by the distraction. "Very good! Very good. Tell us about it."

"A Vampire." Faith said with a roll of her eyes. "Spike dusted him." She simply held up one of her textbooks. "I had math."

"Well, I wouldn't worry about doing anything for us tonight." Mr Travers stated. "No need to rush you."

Faith and Buffy both looked towards Giles. "They may be staying slightly longer than I anticipated." He explained.

"We've already laid out our project for Mr. Giles." Mr Travers continued. "Nigel..."

"It's an exhaustive review of your procedures and abilities." Another Watcher elaborated, stepping forward towards the girls. "We'll observe your training-"

"Both of us?" Faith asked, pointing between them. "'Cause you fired me. I should be exempt."

"Talk to your friends-" the man tried to continue.

"Talk to my friends?"

"Yes. We understand you're still taking civilians along on your patrols-" Travers took charge of Buffy's interruption.

"You've got to be kidding."

"He's not kidding. He's a very serious man."

"Sorry. Who are you?" Buffy asked him.

"They're a little tight-lipped with the introductions." Giles sighed.

"Miss Summers, Miss Lehane - Buffy, Faith - I can sense your resistance. I don't blame you, but I think your watcher hasn't reminded you lately of the relative status of the players in our little game. The Council fights evil. The Slayer, Slayers, are the instruments with which we fight. The Council remains. The Slayers... change. It's been that way from the beginning."

"Yes, that's a very comforting, bloodless way to look at it, isn't it?" Giles sighed once more.

"Giles, let me talk to Buffy-"

"See," Faith pointed at the other Watchers before pointing back to herself, "fired!"

"-Because," Mr Travers continued, " I think she's understanding me." He spoke directly to the older slayer once more. "Glory is stronger than you. She's a more powerful instrument, if you will. But we can help you. We have information that will help. Pass the review and we give it to you without reservation. Fail the review, either through incompetence or by resisting our recommendations-"

"Resisting your recommendations? She fails if we don't do whatever you say?

How much under your thumb do you think we are?"

"How much do you want our help?" Mr Travers asked Giles, seemingly unfazed by the fact that Giles was getting riled up.

"They're not your bloody _instruments_! You've got no right to do any of this!"

"G!" Faith took his arm and tried to lead him back as another Watcher stood protectively over Mr Travers.

"Calm down. Calm down. I understand that you feel this is unfair." Travers indicated for both Watchers to step aside. "But there are factors which should motivate you to go along with the review. I don't want to do this, but obviously, we could shut this place down permanently."

"You can't do that. You don't have that kind of power." Buffy complained while Faith simply scoffed.

"Of course we do." Travers smiled. "And a great deal more. In fact, if you insist on fighting us - we'll arrange to have Mr. Giles deported within the day. Never set foot in this country again." He paused while both girls looked to Giles. "Not to mention the little matter of Miss Lehane and Mr Finch."

"What?" Faith asked, trying not to show that her legs were starting to give way. "You can't, I-"

"It may have escaped your notice but not ours, Miss Lehane, that you never faced trial for your crimes."

"But the hospital-" she couldn't continue. Her legs had given up. No one noticed though as Buffy had to fight to restrain Giles.

"Perhaps you're used to idle threats and sloppy discipline, Ms. Summers," Travers continued once Giles was a safe distance from him, "but you're dealing with grown ups now. Am I making myself clear?"

* * *

Thank you all for your continued support. Circus.


	10. God In My Bed Part II

Summary: This is a sequel to my story A Creature I Don't Know which can be found here: s/8467907/1/A-Creature-I-Dont-Know

A/N: I strongly recommend a good understanding of season 5 to follow this: Checkpoint especially for this update.

Disclaimer:Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, 20th Century Fox, UPN and WB Television Networks own the television shows, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel". Dark Horse and IDW own the Comics. No copyright infringement is intended, no money is being earned by myself. The title of each chapter, and the story as a whole, come from K's Choice songs/Album titles. (Given that I had soundtrack for the first I thought I should have one for the second).

Thank you all for your kind words and support for my last story. I hope you enjoy my continuation of it. I would love to hear your thoughts on my thoughts. Many thanks.

* * *

10. God In My Bed: Part II

Faith could only sit while Buffy and Giles talked around her. Giles, much to the surprise of Buffy, had poured Faith a glass of his scotch and left her to herself. Faith appreciated that kindness. Buffy had, for a while, sat besides her - a hand on her knee - as she and Giles spoke, but eventually she'd drifted away as if knowing that this day would eventually come.

Faith wondered if she too would be tested or if she was just a pawn to be presented to the winner. All she knew was that Buffy, as she'd led her to bed, held her tight and promised that she wouldn't let them take her.

Both Buffy and Giles agreed that the best place for her would be in school, which she duly attended. She spent the day looking over her shoulder, expecting to be pulled out of class by a couple of burly British suits. She spend the day practising answers to their questions and wondering where she could run to. If there was anywhere she could start a fresh. When the bell signalled the end of the day she was relieved to see that Buffy was meeting her at the gate and not the Council.

Buffy asked her how her day was and Faith made jokes about the aptness of studying the American Revolution. Buffy told her that she'd killed a dummy and squeezed her hand tighter.

"Mom?" Buffy called out, as the pair of them dropped of their things in the hallway.

Faith followed her into the living room and found she was greeted by yet another sight that forced her legs to weaken.

"Long day, Sweetie?" Glory smiled at them from one of the arm chairs. "So this is where the Slayer eats and

sleeps and combs her hair." She smiled as she rose and walked passed the pair as if purveying her kingdom. "So cute.

I can't even stand it. Personally," she continued, "I need more space, but

this is good for you. It's so quaint and..." Faith watched as Buffy tried to get to the fire unnoticed by Glory and reached out for one of the fire pokers. "Tsk. Buf-fee..." Glory, across the room in an instance, smiled down at her as she took the tool from her hand. "If I wanted to fight, you could tell by the being dead already."

While Glory was busy staring down at Buffy, Faith inched her back to the doorway. She hoped Buffy would be able to stall Glory long enough to find Dawn.

"And..." Faith turned round to find Glory blocking her path, "...that means you too."

"What do you want?" Faith hissed at her through gritted teeth. Glory simply smiled.

"Now, now little girl why don't you sit and be quiet," she backhanded Faith across the room, "while the big girls talk." Glory finished walking back across the room to Buffy. "The Key. Why else do you think I'd come here? See, I think you know where the Key is."

"Glad you think so." Buffy folded her arms across her chest. She shot Faith a nervous glance as she watched her recover on the floor, but otherwise tried to maintain eye contact with Glory.

"Well, it is the only thing keeping you alive right now." She went over to the corner, picked Faith up by her hair and dusted her off. "'Cause you may be tiny Queen in Vampire World, but to me?" She threw Faith through the glass doors into the hallway. "Ta da! You're a bug."

Buffy was grateful that Glory's attention seemed to be on Faith, as she tried to get Dawn to back out of the room without being noticed.

"You should get down on your knees, and worship me. But you still thinks it's "neat" having Slayer strength. Ooh, big deal, stronger than humans. Phht. Who isn't?" Buffy watched as Dawn crossed back across the threshold and into the kitchen. "I could crush the life from you as easy as you'd break a nail. But I need the Key. Kid!" Dawn stood frozen in the doorway. "C'mere a sec." Buffy watched as Dawn hesitated, unsure of what to do, noting Faith was once more trying to stand.

"Leave her out of this."

"Not asking twice..."

"This is between you and me."

"No..." Glory corrected Buffy, "this is between me and my Key. You just happen to be the thing in the way." She clicked her fingers and Dawn, mirroring Buffy's stance, walked forward with her arms folded. "And you - are just the darlinest thing I ever did see in my life. What's your name, honey?"

"Dawn."

"Dawn. Did you know your sister took my Key, Dawnie? And she won't give it back. Bet you know where she put it, don't you?"

"She doesn't know anything." Faith told her, gingerly getting back to her feet.

"I know some stuff."

"Bet she takes your things all the time without asking, huh? Where's my Key, Dawn?"

"Go upstairs." Buffy told her and Dawn passed her, Buffy grabbed her arm. "Take Faith with you."

"You're always talking about stuff I'm not supposed to hear. I'm gonna figure it out, you know!" She told Buffy as she tried to take some of Faith's weight.

"I like her, she's sassy." Glory smiled when it was just her and Buffy again. "And I'll kill her. Kill your Mom. Kill Grumpy Slayer. Kill your friends. Make you watch when I do." She shrugged. "Just give me the Key. Either you have it, or you know where to find it." She walked passed Buffy towards the door. "Obviously, this is a one-time only deal. Next time we meet, something you love dies bloody. You know you can't take me. You know you can't stop me." She turned round and pointed to the coffee table as Joyce walked passed her. "Oh. And the next time you have guests? Little plate of sugar cookies. I'm just saying."

"Buffy, who was that?" Her mother asked watching Buffy collapse onto the sofa.

"Pack a bag." Was all Buffy was able to manage by way of reply.

* * *

Faith slowly managed to hobble through the doors of the shop and relieved to find Giles rushing to her aid.

"What happened to you?" He asked her quietly as he helped her across the shop.

"I'm a bug." She sighed as he found her a chair by the foot of the stairs.

"And Buffy?"

"We dropped Mrs S and Sunny D at Billy's and now she's fighting the crusades." Giles simply looked down at her. "I offered to help." She tried, but the shop returned to silence as everyone went back to watching the door.

"You're late." Travers told Buffy when she eventually stepped in.

"Yeah." She nodded, walking in with one of the swords from the soldiers before.

"Faith said there an attack..?"

"Yeah." She nodded again.

"Well." Travers cleared his throat. "We can begin the review at last. We'll skip over the more obvious-"

"There isn't going to be a review."

"Sorry?"

She remained calm, unnervingly so. Everyone simply watched as she raised the sword as she spoke, holding it up in front of her and laying it gently on the table, the point facing Travers.

"No review." She continued as if he hadn't spoken. "No interrogation, no questions you know I can't answer, no hoops, no jumps..." She turned to one of the Watchers and silenced him with just a look. "...and no interruptions." She told him before continuing. "See I've had a lot of people talking at me, last few days. People just lining up to tell me how unimportant I am. And I finally figured out why." She walked further into the shop, closer to her friends, her Watcher, to Faith. She stopped only when she was stood staring down at Travers in his seat. "Power." She said simply. "I have it. We-" she corrected, smiling at Faith," have it. They don't. This bothers them. Glory came to my house today-"

"I'm a bug." Faith repeated looking up at Giles and her friends who suddenly understood.

"I'm a bug," Buffy nodded, "I'm a flea, she could squash me in a second... Only she didn't squash me. She came to my house and she talked. We had what in her warped brain probably passes for a civilised conversation. Why? Because she needs something from me. Because I have power over her." Buffy turned from her friends and back to all the various Watchers congregated round the room.

"You didn't come all the way from England to determine whether I'm good enough to be "let back in."You came to beg me to let you back in. To give your jobs, your lives, some semblance of meaning again."

"Oh, this is beyond insolence-"

Buffy's new sword cut across him and into the wall, mere centimetres from his left ear.

"I'm fairly certain I said no interruptions." She told him.

Faith looked up to the gallery above her and saw Xander smiling down. That was excellent, he mouthed at her.

"You're Watchers." Buffy continued. "And without any Slayers you're pretty much just watching Masterpiece Theatre. You can't stop Glory. You can't do anything with the information you have on her except publish it in the 'Everyone Thinks We're Insano's Home Journal.' So here's how it's going to work. You're gonna tell me everything you know. Then you're gonna go away. You'll contact me if and when you have more information. The magic shop will stay open, and Mr. Giles will stay here as my official

watcher, reinstated at full salary."

"Retroactive." Giles coughed into his hands.

"...to be paid retroactively from the month he was fired." She pressed on with a roll of her eyes. "Faith, has served her time. You want to punish her further, you'll have to lock me up too. She killed a man. I killed her." She emphasised with her hands. "Its messy, its confusing, but its done." And just as suddenly her hands stopped moving. "I'll continue my work, with the help of my friends-"

"I..." The only female watcher stepped nervously forward, "I don't want a sword thrown at me, Faith I can understand, but civilians..." She looked up at the gallery, "we're talking about children."

"I'm talking about two powerful witches and a thousand year old ex-demon-"

"Willow's a _DEMON_?" Anya exclaimed a little too late, but everyone's attention was fixed solely on Buffy.

"The boy?" Another asked. "No power there."

"'The Boy' has clocked more field time than all of you combined. He's part of the unit." Buffy paused momentarily, Faith almost wondered if she stopped purely to listen to Willow and Xander whisper or if it was simply to allow her words to take effect. "You may all be very good at your jobs. The only way you're ever gonna find out is if you work with me. You can all take your time thinking about that, but I want an answer right now from Quentin." She turned to face him with a knowing smile. "'Cause I think he's understanding me."

"Your terms are acceptable."

"See?" Buffy sat down opposite him while her friends cheered. "No begging."

"Rupert," Quentin raised his hand, "when we inventoried your shop, we found a bottle of single malt scotch hidden behind the incense holders-"

"Well, it's not that," Faith watched as Giles blushed but caught Buffy's gaze. Buffy simply mouthed, I love you too, while Giles continued in his embarrassment.

"I think I could use a glass." Quentin explained.

"I'll have one," Faith smiled at him, "if you're pouring drinks."

"Just a minute." Buffy brought the attention back to her. "Glory. I wanna know."

"There's a lot to go through..." Quentin warned.

"I just want to know what kind of demon we're fighting."

"Well, that's the thing. Glory isn't a demon."

"What is she?"

"She's a god."

"Oh."

* * *

Thank you, Circus.


	11. Home

Summary: This is a sequel to my story A Creature I Don't Know which can be found here: s/8467907/1/A-Creature-I-Dont-Know

A/N: I strongly recommend a good understanding of season 5 to follow this: Blood Ties especially for this update.

Disclaimer:Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, 20th Century Fox, UPN and WB Television Networks own the television shows, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel". Dark Horse and IDW own the Comics. No copyright infringement is intended, no money is being earned by myself. The title of each chapter, and the story as a whole, come from K's Choice songs/Album titles. (Given that I had soundtrack for the first I thought I should have one for the second).

Thank you all for your kind words and support for my last story. I hope you enjoy my continuation of it. I would love to hear your thoughts on my thoughts. Many thanks.

* * *

11. Home

They lay together in bed, the sheets - like their clothes before - had be kicked aside and discarded. Now it was simply the two of them in bed.

Buffy knew she'd been close to losing the girl besides her, through both her own actions and those of the Council. The relationship was hard, it was always going to be hard. All relationships were. They had to be if they were to mean anything.

Faith had put her life on the line to help Buffy and Dawn all while she had her own demons to face. Faith could have run, she could have fled, but instead she opted to stay. She stayed to face her fate. She stayed to help Buffy.  
She realised that Faith wasn't the girl that she once knew. Faith had grown up and put herself, put her heart, on the line for Buffy.

She had sat back and almost challenged Faith to turn and go, but Faith hadn't. Faith, unlike her father and Angel before, had stayed. Faith loved her, she should love her back.  
She had to allow herself to open herself up to her. She hated it when Xander was right.

**"You got burned with Angel. Then Riley shows up-"**  
**He'd come with her to drop Giles and Faith off at the airport. The drive back had been silent. Until now.**  
**"I know the story, Xander."**  
**"But you missed the point." He told her with a shake of his head. "You shut down, Buffy. You're still treating Faith like she's Riley; like she's the rebound! Faith's the one who comes along once in a lifetime. She's never held back with you - she's risked it all - and you're about to let her go? Why, because she's got the nerve to find this hard too?"**  
**She known him for five years. She'd always thought of Xander as the boy she'd gone to school with. She'd never noticed that he'd become a man.**  
**"If what she needs from you just isn't there - for God's sake, let her go. But if it is? If you can go deeper... Let her get to know that raw, unguarded heart you tried to put away... Maybe you'd better risk something too. Cause either this is the end - or maybe it's the beginning. It's up to you."**

She lay next to Faith, the girl laying peacefully besides her, and gently traced the scar across her stomach. So many times she'd pushed her away and yet every time she'd stayed.

"The guys took the news pretty well." Buffy said, unsure if she was talking to Faith or simply speaking aloud.

"Huh?"

"Dawn." Buffy clarified. "They took the news pretty well."

Faith raised herself up onto her elbows and looked at the girl besides her. She kissed her softly on the lips and simply smiled back at her.

"No, they didn't." Faith corrected. "They will, but they're not there yet. Its cute that you think they did though!" Buffy shot her a warning look. "Change of subject?"

"Good idea."

"Birthday party?"

"Bad idea."

"Come on," Faith smiled at her, relaxing once more, "Red's right, you need a party to just party."

"Find the fun?"

"Find the fun!" Faith nodded.

"Parties and me don't end well." Buffy warned her.

* * *

Faith was pleased that Buffy did as instructed and not only feigned surprise at the party she did not want but also found a little fun. She suspected it was more to do with the presents though.

As the party drew on though, Faith found herself watching Dawn more and more, or rather watching her friend's reactions to Dawn. For months she'd worried about this moment; all those fake memories, all those secrets, piled into a hormonal teenager. She'd always thought being Called was tough, but at least her life was real. Dawn didn't have such a luxury and now more people knew that the sooner she would too.

She stood behind the young girl as she listened to Giles, Buffy and her mother talk in the kitchen.

"Glory." She told her causing Dawn to jump.

"That woman that was here the other day?" Faith nodded. "She scare you?"

"Nothing scares me." Dawn raised her eyebrows. "Alright," Faith conceded, "the Council still has the power to terrify me."

"Yeah," she rolled her eyes, "because we all know how terrifying British people are." Dawn finished by folding her arms across her.

"Dawn?" Buffy called out from the kitchen. "What are you doing? Party getting slow out there?"

"Faith's trying to tell me how scary the British are." Dawn sighed, walking through and picking up a stack of plates. "One moment she's talking to me about that Glory girl-" Buffy looked over her sister and tried to tell Faith off with her eyes alone. "-and the next she's treating me like a kid again."

"Faith shouldn't have been telling you about Glory." Buffy sighed. "But British people can be scary." She thought for a moment. "And mean!"

"May I say anything in our defence?" Giles asked.

"Whatever." Dawn complained walking past Faith and into the living room.

Buffy waited barely a second to pass before she was besides Faith.

"What were you telling her about?"

"I was explaining what she was listening in on." Faith told her. "Kid got a set of ears on her."

"I'm not a kid!"

"See!" Faith pointed in the direction of Dawn's call.

"I'm so glad Buffy's 20 now and I only have the one teenager to deal with!" Joyce sighed, heading through the door in pursuit of her youngest.

"What did you tell her?" Buffy asked again with more urgency.

"Look," Faith replied in the same tone, "she was listening in and I told her that you were talking about Glory." She raised her hands in exasperation. "She's already met the bitch, you can't keep hiding her from her."

"I do hope you're referring to Glory as the bitch in that sentence." Buffy warned just as they heard Dawn starting to kick off in the next room. "Say nothing." Buffy told Faith as she too went in search of her sister.

Faith looked to Giles stood mutely, a cup of tea held close to his chest, in the corner.

"Don't look at me I'm an only child." He told her.

She opened her mouth to reply but closed it again as she listened to Dawn scream, shout and eventually storm upstairs.

"So glad that I am too!"

Giles crossed the room and put an arm around her, steering her back into the living room.

"Don't tell me that you're jealous that Buffy got the sister and you didn't?"

Faith simply shrugged and rejoined the others.

* * *

After a while of Dawn's continued absence Faith asked if someone should check in on her. Buffy shook her head and picked up the shell framed picture Dawn had given her. She was telling Faith about when they first moved to Sunnydale and that Dawn's anger at leaving their father had her confined to her room for a week. She was explaining about how Dawn even took her meals upstairs when Tara cut her off.

"Is this blood?" Dawn asked the room as she re-emerged, a knife dangling limply from her hand as blood fell from her arms.

"Dawn!" Joyce was holding her in an instant. While Buffy took the knife from her hand and questioned her actions.

"It's blood, isn't it?" Dawn asked. "It can't be me. I'm not a _Key_. I'm not a _thing_." her words were bitter and confused. They came out slowly and so quietly but everyone in the room heard each one.

"Sweetie, no," Joyce tried to find the words as her youngest child started to cry, "what is this all..."

"What am I?" She asked. "Am I real? Am I anything?"

Buffy shepherded everyone out of the house as her mother helped Dawn upstairs. She thanked everyone for coming and their offers of support but explained that Dawn needed to be with her family now. She shot a sorrowful look to her friends and promised to try a party for her 21st.

After she closed the door to the outside world she climbed the stairs and found her mother combing her sisters hair with her fingers. She couldn't see Dawn's arms but knowing her mother, they would already have been cleaned and treated.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Dawn asked on hearing her sister enter the room.

"We were going to. We just."

"We thought it would be better to wait until you were older." Joyce continued after Buffy faltered.

"How old am I now?"

"Fourteen." Her mother responded. "You know that."

"No." Dawn turned to face them, "the monks. When did they...?"

"Six months ago." Buffy told her eventually.

"I've only been alive for six months?"

"No, honey. You've been alive longer than that to us."

"You don't know that." She shot back at her mother. "You don't know anything! I'm a Key - everything about me's just made up."

"Dawn, Mom and I know what we feel. I know I care about you, know I worry-"

"You worry 'cause you have to - I'm your job." Dawn scoffed back. "'Protect the Key' right?"

"No, I worry because my sister is cutting herself-"

"Yeah?" Dawn laughed bitterly. "How do you know? Maybe it's just another fake memory. From my fake family."

"Honey." Joyce reached out to touch Dawn. Dawn withdrew, out of reach. Buffy and Joyce could only stare at her as she turned away from them.

"Get out."

"Dawn."

"Get out! GET OUT! GET OUT!"

* * *

Faith slipped out of school and headed towards Buffy's house. She knew that she and the Scoobies would at the Magic Box trying to fathom how Dawn had finally learned the truth. Faith had contemplated joining them except she knew that Giles would just send her straight back to school and the fact that she could be of greater use elsewhere.

She climbed the veranda and pushed up the slash window to her room. She contemplated climbing straight through, but the death stare she received from Dawn made her think twice.

"May I?" She tried, not too hopeful of the results. "Look," she tried again after Dawn had folded her arms across her chest, "I'm wearing a skirt here, if one of your neighbours starts mowing their lawn they're going to get a pretty good view."

"Whatever."

"Good," Faith smiled at her as she crossed into her room, "because I was pretty much going to come in anyway."

"What do you want?" Dawn asked her as she watched the girl sit, and try to get comfortable, on the floor.

"I grew up in care. Buffy ever tell you that?"

"So?"

"My mom was a deadbeat, my dad ran off - or died depending on who's story you're listening to - and I was presented to this crappy foster family to bring up."

"So?" She repeated.

"I would have killed to have a mom and a sister who loved me."

"They love me because they have to, cause of the-"

"The monks?" Faith shook her head. "Family and love aren't the same thing. You were given to a family, they chose to love you."

Dawn got up off her bed and stood staring down at the girl on her floor.

"You're the real slayer now, how come I wasn't given to you?"

"Cause my family wouldn't have loved you. Hell," Faith thought about it for a while, "given the childhood I had, I probably wouldn't of either."

"That's it?" Dawn sighed. "That's your big speech to make me feel better about being fake?"

"Hey!" Faith stood up so she was looking down on the girl. "I'm missed Bio for this. I'm going to get detention."

"Oooh bad girl." She mocked. "I got suspended today."

Faith turned around and headed back for the window. "Just think about it, kid." She told her as she started to climb down.

"I'm not a kid! I'm barely six months old." Dawn yelled back out to her.

"Yeah," Faith sighed to herself as she dusted herself off at the foot of the wall, "but if I told you to stop whining like a baby you'd just cut yourself again."

And she headed back to school.

* * *

Faith told Buffy everything that she'd said to Dawn in the afternoon, while the looked for the girl – even the question of why Dawn had been sent to Buffy rather than to herself. She wasn't sure how much Buffy was taking in though, her mind preoccupied with the search for her sister. When nobody – not even Spike – had found the girl, Buffy gathered them all back together and Buffy started to consider other options.

It was at the hospital where they found her.

"Get away from my sister." Buffy warned as the group of them stormed the abandoned room.

"Oh hey!" Glory smiled broadly at her. "We were just talking about you!"

"Conversation's over, Hellbitch." She told her as she attacked with a ferocity and a darkness that Faith had seldom seen.

When Buffy managed to shove Glory into one of the many light boxes on the wall, sending shattered glass everywhere, Faith grabbed Dawn and tucked her under a table. She noted a small shard embedded in the girl's palm and a trickle of blood starting to form. There was nothing she could do for her now though as she went to help Buffy and Spike fight.

"I thought you said this skank was tough?" Spike asked, an arm across her neck as Buffy hit her.

Glory shook him free and sent him crashing into the wall.

"If he wakes up," Glory told Buffy as she started to hit back, "tell your boyfriend to watch his mouth."

"He's! Not! Her! BOYFRIEND!" Faith told her, grabbing the broken lightbox from the wall and bringing it down on her head.

"Oh." Glory suddenly stopped, smiled and pointed between the two Slayers. "I get it now. Don't understand it." She said, knocking Faith into the same wall as Spike and crashing down on top of him. "but I get it!"

Faith pulled herself to a stand and positioned herself in front of Willow and Tara as they started to chant, protecting them while Buffy continued to fight Glory.

"Giles, now!" Buffy commanded him to fire his crossbow, but the bold simply bounced off Glory's chest.

"Oh, please! Like that's gonna-" Xander cut her off mid-sentence by whacking her across the back of the head with his crowbar. "Hey!" She told him, snatching the metal from his hand. "Watch the hair!" she told him before sending him into Giles. "Okay! Time to start the dyin'!" She announced throwing the crowbar, like a spear, towards Dawn huddled under the table.

"Dawn!" Buffy stood in the way protectively and took the blow. She fell to the floor as she tried to remove the bar from her shoulder.

Dawn instinctively ran to Buffy, but Faith grabbed her and pulled her back and out of the way. She backed the pair of them into a corner and out of the way. She watched Willow and Tara continue chanting and hoped whatever they were going to do was going to happen soon.

"Look what you did to my dress, you little-"

"Discede!" Willow interrupted and clapped her hands together causing Glory to disappear. She dropped to her knees as her right hand went to the blood coming from her nose.

"What did you do to her?" Buffy asked as she took Dawn from Faith.

"Teleportation spell." Willow managed weakly as Tara tended to her. "Still working out the kinks."

"Where did you send her?" Faith asked looking around the room.

"Don't know. That's one of the kinks."

But Buffy had stopped listening, all her attention was firmly back on her sister.

"Are you all right?! Did she hurt you?"

"Why do you care?" Dawn asked her, as if suddenly remembering her hatred.

"Because I love you." Buffy told her, not rising to the bile. "You're my sister."

"No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are. Look." She took Dawn's bleeding palm and removed the small piece of glass from it. She then pressed her own palm against her shoulder and held their hands together. "Blood. Summers' blood. Just like mine." Buffy told her as her blood met with Dawn's. "It doesn't matter how you got here or where you came from. You are my sister – there's no way you could annoy me as much if you weren't."

Dawn relaxed, her anger and hurt evaporating with every passing moment and simply hugged her sister. "I was so scared." She admitted into her ear.

"Me too." Buffy told her.

"Wait!" Dawn pushed her away. "Ben! He-" she looked around the room but she just looked confused. "He was here. He was trying to help me, but then he… I think he might have left before Glory came. I – I can't remember."

"Its okay." Faith laid a hand on her shoulder. "We'll send him a muffin basket."

"And thank him the next time we see him." Buffy finished, scooping her sister up and starting to walk out of the room. "We'd better get back. Mom's freaking out." She explained as she lead the way out of the hospital.

* * *

I met the artist who's currently drawing for the Angel & Faith comic series - she's lovely. Check out her work - Rebekah Isaacs.

Many thanks, Circus.


	12. Old Woman

Summary: This is a sequel to my story A Creature I Don't Know which can be found here: s/8467907/1/A-Creature-I-Dont-Know

A/N: I strongly recommend a good understanding of season 5 to follow this: Body especially for this update.

Disclaimer:Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, 20th Century Fox, UPN and WB Television Networks own the television shows, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel". Dark Horse and IDW own the Comics. No copyright infringement is intended, no money is being earned by myself. The title of each chapter, and the story as a whole, come from K's Choice songs/Album titles. (Given that I had soundtrack for the first I thought I should have one for the second).

Thank you all for your kind words and support for my last story. I hope you enjoy my continuation of it. I would love to hear your thoughts on my thoughts. Many thanks.

* * *

12. Old Woman

"So what did you do with the robot?" Faith asked as they walked up the path to Buffy's house.

"I don't know what do you do with a robot?"

Buffy had met Faith after school and filled her in on everything she'd missed due to a mix of detentions, a rush of assignments and Giles' request that she start adhering to his curfew again. Faith had complained loudly and often but Giles simply reminded her that he was investing a lot of money in her education the least she could do was give a little bit of time to it.

"You trashed it didn't you?" Faith laughed as she waited for Buffy to open her front door.

"Yeah," she conceded, "but in a respectful way."

"Trashed is trashed!" Faith reminded her as she walked into the hallway. "Oh flowers!" She pointed at the fresh bouquet on the side before rummaging through the foliage for the card.

"Oh yeah," Buffy said absentmindedly as she dropped her bag, "Mom's dating again."

"'Thank you for a lovely evening. See you soon' question mark!" Faith smiled showing her the card. "'_Brian_'"

"You're loving this, aren't you?" Buffy sighed replacing the card in the arrangement. "I note that I'm yet to get flowers."

"No," Faith nodded. "But you get sugar."

Buffy smiled as Faith leaned in for a kiss. "Can I at least check the house is empty before you attack me in the hallway."

"Who said anything about attack?"

"Hey Flower-Getting Lady!" Buffy called out. "Mom?"

"Mrs S?" Faith waited for a moment but heard no reply. "Must be out picking up Dawn from school."

"Mom?" Buffy called once more, "Mom?" she peered round the door to the living room and found her laying uncomfortably on the sofa. "Mom? What are you doing?"

"B, I think-"

"Mom?" Buffy continued forward and took her mother in her arms, "Mom? Mommy?"

* * *

Silence.

Nobody said a word. There was just the empty air.

Even the clock seemed to have stopped ticking out of respect.

There was just silence.

After the house Giles driven the girls to Dawn's school. He didn't even question why Faith was already there. They simply sat, silently, in the car as they waited for Buffy to come back with Dawn.

The other's joined them in the waiting room.

Brief words were exchanged before silence fell once more.

The doctor explained what had happened. Explained what would happen. It didn't matter though she was still dead. No amount of details, excuses or paperwork could take that away.

She was dead.

Giles followed him out and took as much from Buffy's shoulders as he could.

Willow and Xander looked for food with Anya in tow.

Dawn went to the toilet, Faith following discretely.

"I'm sorry you have to go through this." Buffy eventually managed to say.

"You don't have to worry about me." Tara reassured her.

"Everyone wants to help… I don't even know… if I'm here… I don't know what's going on. I've never done this-" she cut herself off with a shake of her head. "Well that's just an amazingly dumb thing to say, obviously I've never done this before."

Silence. Silence fell between them once more.

"I have." Tara let out quietly. "My mother died when I was seventeen."

"I didn't know that. I'm sorry-"

"No, no." she said quickly. "I didn't mean to… I'm only telling you because, its not m-my place, but… there's things…." Each word was barely above a whisper. Each word was a struggle to overcome. It was as if Tara was learning to speak again and each word was a battle to fight the silence. "…thoughts and reactions I had, that I couldn't… understand, or even try to explain to anyone else. Thoughts that made me feel like I was losing it, or like I was just a h-horrible person…" she regretted stopping, worried that she wouldn't be able to continue again. "Its different. Its always different, but… if you ever need…"

"Was it sudden?"

* * *

"What?"

"Your mom. She'd dead." Dawn said quietly from behind the safety of the stall.

"Yeah. She's dead." Faith said, sitting down on the toilet next to Dawn's realising that she hadn't been following the girl as subtlety as she'd intended.

"Was it quick?"

"Mom?" Faith waited for a response but none was forthcoming. "I always knew she was going to die. It question was when or how or what drug…" She trailed off as she saw Dawn's foot move from the other side of the divide. "It was alcohol poisoning."

"What's that?"

"When you drink to much, normally you'll get drunk but sometimes… sometimes your body simply can't take it. It will give up, give out."

"How old were you?"

"I was too young." Faith said simply. "But you'll always be too young when your mom dies."

Silence fell between them, punctuated only but Dawn's quiet steps and the unlocking of her stall door. She peered round the edge of Faith's and looked down at her.

"Does it get…"

"Better?" Dawn simply nodded. "No. It doesn't get better. It can't get better. Your mom's dead." Faith told her candidly. "It gets easier. Doesn't get better." She stood up and pulled Dawn into her arms. "…and my mom was a whore." She said silently.

* * *

Faith waited with Buffy besides the grave. Slowly the group of mourners had got smaller and smaller. Dawn going back with Willow and Tara, Xander taking Anya home. Even Giles eventually left. Until it was just the two of them.

They stood silently. There were no words. No platitudes. No sentiments. Nothing could be said.

They simply stood silently.

The hair on the back of Faith's neck rose. She knew that Buffy felt it too. As the sky darkened, she cursed the night that a vampire had the audacity to strike now. Tonight.

She let Buffy remain and spun round to find her facing a vampire she knew.

"I'm sorry I couldn't come sooner." Angel said.

It took all of Faith's might to simply walk away. When she reached the edge of the cemetery she swallowed all her bile, all of her hatred and turned back to look at them. She found her hand in his.

It took all of her might to simply walk away.

* * *

Thank you, Circus


	13. Song For Catherine

Summary: This is a sequel to my story A Creature I Don't Know which can be found here: s/8467907/1/A-Creature-I-Dont-Know

A/N: I strongly recommend a good understanding of season 5 to follow this: Intervention especially for this update.

Disclaimer:Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, 20th Century Fox, UPN and WB Television Networks own the television shows, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel". Dark Horse and IDW own the Comics. No copyright infringement is intended, no money is being earned by myself. The title of each chapter, and the story as a whole, come from K's Choice songs/Album titles. (Given that I had soundtrack for the first I thought I should have one for the second).

Thank you all for your kind words and support for my last story. I hope you enjoy my continuation of it. I would love to hear your thoughts on my thoughts. Many thanks.

* * *

13. Song For Catherine

Faith could hear Anya complaining from several graves back. She knew that if she could hear her complaining any vampires out and about certainly would be able to too. What really annoyed her though was the fact that Anya's complaints made sense. She didn't know why Anya and Xander had come along either, she was a perfectly capable slayer and even though Buffy was away in the desert with Giles that shouldn't have to interrupt their night of sex. Faith shuddered. She hated how much Anya spoke about sex with Xander. She knew far too much about sex with Xander already, she didn't need more details.

She knew that Xander had come on patrol with her, not at Buffy's request, but because she'd told him about Angel attending Mrs Summer's funeral. She was grateful that he was concerned about her, however, she didn't need to be babysat while Buffy was away. She especially didn't need to be babysat by him _and_ Anya.

She spun round and smiled at the bickering couple.

"Okay kiddies," she sighed, "its really time to be quiet now."

"Why?" Anya questioned.

"So we can hear if people, demons, vampires sneak up on us." Faith explained.

"Hey there!" She spun back around and found Buffy staring at her, the broadest smile across her face than Faith had seen for a while.

"Like that?" Anya questioned. "Now Buffy's back can we go have sex?" She asked Xander.

"Anya," Buffy smiled at her. "How's your money?"

"Fine! Thank you for asking."

"B?"

"Faith." Buffy nodded at her after a pause. "You smell. And you have wonky tits." Faith folded her arms over her chest instinctively. She could think of absolutely nothing to say as a retort. "Isn't it a beautiful night for killing evil things?" Buffy continued blissfully unaware of how angry Faith had become.

"I guess." Xander looked between the two girls trying to work out if Faith was going to punch her.

"You're back very early." Anya pointed out.

"Yeah, how was the whole visio-" he cut himself off, he knew that Giles taking Buffy first was another thorn in Faith's side. "You're back early." He simply reiterated.

"I don't understand that question, but thank you for asking! You're my friend and a carpenter."

"You alright? You're all…" Faith trailed off. "I've not seen you in that skirt before?"

"Hey there!" Spike ran up to them. "Wait up!"

"Spike!" Buffy beamed at him. "It's Spike!" She smiled at the others. "And he's wearing the coat!"

"What do you want Billy?" Faith asked, her arms still folded across her chest.

"Billy?" Buffy frowned at her. "Who's Billy? This is Spike. He has a very nice chest."

"Oh for love of…" She threw her hands up into the air and stormed off. "When my mom died…" She shouted back. "Yes… well, I…" there were not enough words for her anger. "VAMPIRES!" she roared. "ITS ALWAYS ABOUT THE VAMPS WITH YOU, ISN'T IT?"

* * *

Xander and Anya found her on a bench at the entrance of the cemetery. She looked up at them expectantly while she waited for them to catch their breath.

"I didn't dust Angel, can I kill him?" She asked them pleadingly.

"She. Didn't. Ask. About. Dawn." Xander managed out, his hand on his side. "Ow. Stitch."

Anya slapped him across the shoulder. "Quit being such a baby." She turned back to Faith. "But yes, I would say you can kill Spike."

"No…" she sighed. "If I kill Spike…" she paused and thought about it. "I don't know why I can't kill Spike but I know that I can't. Shouldn't." She shook her head. "She didn't ask about Dawn!" Xander simply pointed at her as he tried to recover. "Something's wrong."

She stood up and walked back with them through the graves.

"I think this is where we were." Anya pointed to a grave she recognised.

"I guess she went-" Xander stopped talking when Faith put a finger across his lips and mouthed Quiet to him.

"I heard something." Anya nodded, negating Faith's request for silence.

They listened again and heard moaning from within the trees.

Faith motioned for Anya to be quiet and indicated for the pair of them to follow her. She walked slowly around one of the trees and found Buffy.

Her skirt was pooled around them as she straddled the vampire. Neither spotted their three onlookers.

"You're the Big Bad!" Buffy simply repeated over and over again.

It was all Faith could hear as she ran in the opposite direction.

* * *

Xander and Anya found Faith back at her house with one of Giles' bottles of whiskey in her hand. She was drinking straight out of the bottle. It took Xander 30 minutes to persuade Faith to put down the drink and come with him and Anya back to his apartment. 30 minutes of yelling, swearing and death threats. 30 minutes of him flinching fearing Faith was going to do all she promised to him as well as Spike.

"Where's Dawn?" Xander asked walking through his apartment door.

"She's in the bedroom." Tara explained as Willow turned off the television. "She fell asleep."

"Good." He nodded, stepping into the hallway and brining Faith in after him.

"She's a fun drunk." Anya smiled pointing at the bottle still firmly in Faith's hand. "And I don't think he breasts are wonky at all."

"Thank you." Faith smiled victoriously. "Tits." She scoffed. "Tits." She giggled. "Tits are fun."

"Why is Faith giggling about boobs?" Willow asked Xander.

"Buffy's gone insane." He sighed. "And apparently Faith's are wonky."

"Hey," Faith pointed at all of them staring at her chest. "Not for you."

"What?" Willow shook her head turning, from Faith back to Xander. "What did she do?"

"Brace yourself, you're not gonna believe it."

"I can." Faith called from the kitchen as she looked for either something new to drink or some food. She didn't mind which.

"Everyone," Tara soothed, trying to get Faith to rummage a little quieter before she woke up Dawn. "before you jump all over her… people do strange things when someone they love dies. When I lost my mother I did some pretty dumb stuff, lying to

my folks and staying out all night-"

"B's fu-"

"Boinking!" Anya cut in quickly. "Buffy's boinking Spike."

Willow suddenly found herself sat down again. "Oh. Well…" she shook her head. "Tara's right, grief can be powerful and we shouldn't judge-"

"What are you, kidding?" Tara scoffed. "She's nuts!"

"Told you." Faith smiled. "I've always liked you. You're my favourite."

"And you're my favourite too." Tara sighed with a roll of her eyes. "How much is she going to remember when she's sober?"

"Well-"

"My mom was an alcoholic." Faith told them proudly as she sat down on the sofa with a couple of bottles of beer. "And Dad? Well Daddy's Irish." She looked between the two beers trying to decide which one to open first. "We all know how the Irish love to drink."

"Oh good," Xander smiled weakly, "we're into the racist stereotyping portion of the evening." Everyone looked at him blankly. "My family are heavy drinkers too. I find this oddly comforting."

"It's not healthy." Willow said.

"Drinking's perfectly fine. Bet you make a horny drunk!" Faith smiled.

"Not you." Willow waved her away. "Buffy!"

"What can we do?"

"In the movies," Anya chimed in, "when someone goes crazy, they slap 'em."

"Oh I'll find her." Faith was stood again. "I'll slap her..." She wobbled a little and sat back down. "I'll-" but what she'd do the others didn't find out as she passed out.

* * *

She clutched her head with one hand and covered her eyes with the other. It was too bright. Far too bright.

She could hear children laughing somewhere vaguely close. It was this laughter that forced her eyes to open quickly.

"Whereami?"

She looked about the room and found she had a blanket across her. She looked for the source of the laughter and found Dawn had cartoons on. The girl, however, was watching her.

"Tara!" She called, causing Faith to clutch at her head once more. "She's up!"

Faith watched as Tara came out of Xander's bedroom, brush still going through her hair.

"Morning Sweetie," she smiled at her, "how's the head?"

"I think I fought a dragon last night."

"Dragons are real?" Dawn asked, turning back from the television.

"Not in this dimension." Tara explained, causing a disappointed look to form across Dawn's face.

"A dragon would be cool." She sighed.

"How much do you remember?" Tara asked, sitting besides Faith.

Faith thought for a moment before: "Spike!"

"Yeah," Tara sighed once more, "about that - robot."

"Spike's a robot?"

"No Buffy was."

"Buffy's a robot?"

"I have fake memories and a fake sister?" Dawn looked back at them.

"No, Buffy's real," Tara turned back to Faith, "the Buffy you saw with Spike was a robot."

"Why would-"

"I'm going to kill him!" Faith told Tara simply, trying to stand.

Tara simply encouraged her to sit back down, a feat that wasn't too difficult given that Faith's hand was back at her temple and her head was roaring in pain.

"How about... Instead of killing Spike... We, uh, don't." She tried. "The others have gone to rescue him-"

"We're rescuing him now?"

"-and we'll head over to the Magic Box and meet them afterwards."

"How do you know all this?" Dawn suddenly asked her.

"Will called before you woke up." She smiled at Dawn, before turning back to Faith, "So Magic Box?"

"After we've rescued Spike?" Faith questioned, scepticism clearly evident in her tone.

"No, after you've showered and your hangover is a little more over."

Faith, due to the nature of her hangover and her desire not to be seen throwing up again, found following Tara's orders a lot easier than Tara had expected. Tara was relieved that she didn't have to argue with Faith. She'd seen Buffy argue with her, she'd heard Willow talk of fights past and she was thankful she didn't have to face an angry slayer. Mainly she was thankful for Faith's headache; she knew that was the key factor behind the girl's willingness to not go out looking for a battle.

Tara lead the girls to the Magic Box, rolling her eyes every time Dawn asked just how much Faith's head hurt and smiled at Faith's responses. Apparently Dawn was right, drinking heavily was stupid. Only losers drank alcohol.

Faith, dutifully, sat down as instructed and fidgeted until the others started making their way back. Xander came in and dropped the robot down on the table before heading back out with Giles to return Spike back to his crypt. Luckily for the men, Faith was too preoccupied comparing the two Buffy's to realise that Spike was so near by.

"Is it weird?" Tara asked, while Willow tinkered with the machine.

"Oh yeah." Both slayers replied.

"I can't believe you thought that was me." Buffy punched Faith on the arm. "Its not even a good copy."

"Uh, yeah." Willow muttered continuing to play with the electronics of the robot.

"Do you think I have wonky boobs?" Faith asked after a while, still looking at the robot.

"You're boobs are-" Buffy suddenly cut herself off very aware that Willow and Tara were both looking at her with arched brows. "Do we have to do this now?" Buffy asked. "In front of my kid sister?"

"Buffy," Dawn looked at her sister incredulously, "I know about lesbians and breasts!"

Faith raised her hand in the air. "Bise-"

"Oh look Giles and Xander are back." Buffy cut her off, "Hi Giles and Xander. You bring a change of subject, yes?"

"We dumped Spike back in his crypt." Xander told the group, dropping down into a seat besides Anya.

"Let that story have a dusty ending." Buffy pleaded.

"We tried to find out if he told her about..." Giles stopped when he noticed he had Dawn's rapt attention too, "anything. He was too badly beaten to make any sense."

"But you found out something, right?" Dawn looked round the group hopefully. "Now you know where Glory lives."

"We know where Glory lives?" Faith questioned.

"You remember where we killed that big snake?" Faith nodded. "That's were she was, but," she turned back to her sister, "she's gotta be long gone by now. Did he tell Glory-"

"We don't know." Xander cut her off. "He was barely conscious."

"If he told her he'd just lie to us about it anyway, right?" Anya shrugged.

"Oh, you can count on that." Buffy spoke over Faith's reply. "But we gotta know. Now. If he did give us up, Dawn and I are gonna have to get out of town, or. I mean, she could be on her way."

"But there's no need to worry." Giles tried to calm an anxious looking Dawn. "I'm sure we're all perfectly safe."

"We're safe. Right." She parroted back to him, sarcasm clear in her tone. "And Spike built a robot Buffy to play checkers with."

"It sounded convincing when I thought it." Tara tried when she found all sets of eyes on her.

"Hey!" Willow looked up from the Buffybot triumphantly. "I think I found something...I found where she's broken. There's some wiring that got fried extra crispy. That's an easy fix-"

"Fix?"

"There will be no fixing." Buffy told Willow, but more Faith, sternly.

"-Not that I would." Willow finished quickly.

"God," Xander said sadly, "I feel kinda bad for the guy. Gets all whupped, then his best toy gets taken away."

"Xander," Buffy tried to say with the utmost of patience, "please don't be suggesting what I'd have to kill you for suggesting."

"I would too."

"Or I would let Faith kill you for suggesting." Buffy continued.

"No, no!" He looked between the slayers panicked. "Travesty! Completely on board. It's just. guy was so thrashed… just not his day."

The group fell silent as Faith looked between Buffy, Xander and the robot lying dormant on the table.

"I don't think I like this new plan," she pointed at Buffy, "any more than Xander's suggestion of a suggestion."

"New plan?" Dawn asked around the table. "There's a new plan?"

* * *

She found him lying, battered, beaten and defeated on his stone bed. She went to him instantly.

"Spike!" She exclaimed. "You're covered in sexy wounds!"

She waited while he slowly managed to push himself up into a seated position.

"Yeah, they feel real sexy." He sighed. "Where ya been?"

"I fell down and got confused but Willow fixed me. She's gay! Lots of people are gay in Sunnydale. But not me." She smiled proudly. "I felt the pull of your sinister attraction." She leaned in to touch him. "I'll nurse you back to health. I'll wear the nurse outfit!"

"Will fixed you?" He frowned back at her, dodging her touch. "I'd a thought they'd melt you into scrap, or Faith would have beaten me to death with you."

"Faith was confused." She continued to smile. "She's gay too! She's gay for me. Her tits are wonky. I only want you, Big Bad. Do you want to ravage me?"

"Give us a minute." He inched further from her. "I got some bones need mending."

"Why did you let that Glory hurt you?"

"She wanted to know who the Key was."

"I can tell her!" She spun round on her heals and headed straight for the door. "Then you won't-"

"No!" He tried to reach out for her but the pain was too much. She stopped and turned back to him. "You can't ever. Glory never finds out. Full stop."

"Why?"

"Buffy-" he stopped and thought of a way to clarify himself, "the other. the not-as-pleasant Buffy. Something happened to Dawn it'd destroy her. I couldn't live, her being in that much pain. I'd let Glory kill me first... Nearly bloody did." He said softly as she approached him. She leaned in and kissed him. Softly. Affectionately. Unlike all the times before.

He pulled back from her and allowed her to leave.

"And my robot?" He asked, her hand on the door.

"The robot is gone. The robot was gross and obscene. And nearly got you killed by my very angry girlfriend." She told him, not looking at him.

"It wasn't supposed to be-"

"Don't." She cut him off, her hand still on the door, her eyes firmly fixed on the exit. "That thing… it's not even real." She pulled open the door every so slightly before she turned back to face him. "What you did for me, and Dawn, that was real. And I'll never forget it."

* * *

Thank you, Circus


	14. Everything For Free

Summary: This is a sequel to my story A Creature I Don't Know which can be found here: s/8467907/1/A-Creature-I-Dont-Know

A/N: I strongly recommend a good understanding of season 5 to follow this: Tough Love especially for this update.

Disclaimer: Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, 20th Century Fox, UPN and WB Television Networks own the television shows, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel". Dark Horse and IDW own the Comics. No copyright infringement is intended, no money is being earned by myself. The title of each chapter, and the story as a whole, come from K's Choice songs/Album titles. (Given that I had soundtrack for the first I thought I should have one for the second).

Thank you all for your kind words and support for my last story. I hope you enjoy my continuation of it. I would love to hear your thoughts on my thoughts. Many thanks.

* * *

14. Everything For Free

Faith wandered slowly through the fair, hands deep in her pockets. She and Buffy were going to spend the afternoon being all cultural with Willow and Tara. Only now, Buffy had turned into Ubermom with Dawn and cancelled, forcing Faith to be a third wheel. Faith wasn't entirely sure how she felt about that; especially as she didn't think she'd spent any time alone with just Willow and Tara since the weird dream with the First Slayer.

Now she thought about it she wasn't even sure she'd ever spent time alone with just Willow and Tara. She'd third wheeled with Anya and Xander, but that was different - Xander was cool and half the fun came in winding up Anya. Not that she didn't think Willow was cool too, she just didn't have all that much in common with her.

She found Tara wandering aimlessly past one of the many balloon stalls and Faith instinctively looked around for Willow.

"Why so glum?" She asked her. "All out of cotton candy? Or is that where Red is?" She waited for a response but soon realised that none would be coming. "Yo!" She waved her hand in front of Tara's face. "You in there?"

"Sorry." She sighed by way of response. "Will's not coming."

"No bother." Faith shrugged. "B dumped me too, we'll just-" she stopped suddenly realising that tears were silently falling. "What'd I say?"

"Sorry. Willow and I had a fight."

"Oh," Faith instantly relaxed, "is that it? B and I fight all the time. One of our fights had me cooped up in a chair. Oh no..." She trailed off again, "please don't cry. I had mad moves and it was kinda my fault but I would never say that to B! And;" she slowed her nervous speech down enough to stop and point triumphantly at Tara, "that last fight I got a fun holiday to England and now we're better than ever."

"I can't go to England." Tara managed a very weak smile.

"No," Faith conceded, "but I thought I saw a United Kingdom stall a couple of stands back." She stopped while she thought for a while, "That's England, right?"

"Maybe later." Tara sniffed.

"How bout I go get you that cotton candy?"

"I prefer hot dogs." Tara told her.

"Done. Three dogs coming up."

"Three?"

"I'm wicked hungry." Faith smiled. "Now go wait..." She scanned the crowd quickly until she found a bench, "there! And come back with some food. Sauce and onions?" Tara nodded before allowing Faith to leave.

Faith headed back through the stalls and joined the line for the hot dogs. It was nice having a weekend to just do weekend things. She'd managed to persuade Giles that her curfew should be relaxed again given that finals were coming soon and she knew she'd be confined to the house again. She'd intended on spending the time with Buffy, but given Buffy's new desire to follow Dawn around with her homework that was no longer an option. Maybe she and Dawn could have matching curfews.

"Faith." She spun round and found Willow looking agitated. "Where's Tara?"

"She's on a bench over there." She pointed in the vague direction of the bench. "You come to kiss and make up?"

"Where is she?" Willow asked again with far more urgency.

"She's just past China."

"Where's that?"

Faith rolled her eyes and gave up her place in the queue.

"I don't know what you're fighting about," Faith told her, struggling to keep up with Willow, "but-"

Suddenly she was running. Glory's hands were fusing into Tara's skull, into her brain and all Faith knew is that she wasn't going to get there, past all those people, to Tara.

Willow crumpled in a heap before the girl. Faith scanned the crowd looking for the god.

Neither knew what to do now.

* * *

Slowly everybody came. Slowly everybody knew.

Willow had struggled to get Tara to comply with the examination. Faith had to help pin her down, keep her still, as they plastered her wrist.

Slowly everybody came. Slowly everybody knew.

Willow sat on the doctor's stool, holding Tara's good hand. She'd barely stopped crying, it took all her strength to simply be there. Stopping the tears was a bridge too far.

"Can't she go home now?"

"Unfortunately, no." The doctor apologised as he finished up Tara's third examination from her third doctor. While the spate of mental illness patients were ever increasing, every doctor had a fresh opinion. "Hospital policy dictates we keep her for the night."

"Does she have to?" Willow pleaded with him. "I can take care of her at home."

"It's poisoned." Tara told the doctor before scolding Willow, "Why don't I tell you that? It's got to be checked though."

"Is she your sister?"

"It has to be verified of course. Anyone could tell you that. Of course. Of course."

"She's my everything." Willow replied simply.

Faith slid down the wall. Slowly everybody had come. Slowly everybody knew she had failed.

"Words cannot express how much I hate this place." Xander complained as the doctor passed him, dropping a hand on Faith's shoulder and squeezing it tight. "And yet the same words I say when I hit my thumb with a hammer keep coming to mind."

"It's dreadful." Giles nodded.

"It's like Communism." Anya sighed.

"Its my fau-" Faith stopped and climbed to her feet as Buffy entered the room.

"Will." She headed straight to the girl and held her close. "I'm so sorry."

"They kill mice." Tara told her.

"I'm sorry it took me so long." Buffy continued. "But I'm here now and Dawn's safe with Spike so I can stay as long as you need me."

Faith looked between the three women. She had failed them all.

She remained silent while forms and papers were filled out. She remained silent while Willow fought the doctors taking her girlfriend away. She remained silent while Willow fought Buffy, while Willow tried to be let to go fight. While the others let Willow simply walk away, Faith followed and remained silent no more.

"What's the plan?" She asked her desperately trying to keep pace as Willow left the hospital.

"Plan?"

"How you want to do it? Go in guns blazing?" Faith explained. "Where do you want to look for her? That apartment block on the edge of the park."

"We need to make a stop first." Willow told her and she led her back to the Magic Box.

Faith left Willow to plan the witchcraft and wizardry, she simply stocked up on weapons. She took anything she could carry on her and waited for Willow to finish in the restricted section before heading back out after the redhead.

Faith followed Willow into the penthouse. While Willow dealt with Glory, Faith took out any and all of the minions who came out to protect her.

Willow's magic was fading though and fading fast. Glory, while she had been imprisoned in a force field was now simply deflecting everything Willow threw at her.

"We need to go, NOW!" Faith screamed at her, struggling to load a fresh bolt into her crossbow while trying to defend Willow from the table Glory threw at her.

"Go?" Glory laughed, "but we're just starting to have some fun. Now," Glory grabbed Willow by the neck, while Faith tried to shift the weight of the oak table on top of her, "you know what they used to do to witches, lover?"

Faith shot her remaining bolt straight at Glory's chest. She was sickened to see that the god simply caught it and held it against Willow's neck.

"I was talking to the witch!" Glory sighed, "That's the problem with you, so rude. Give me the other slayer any day!"

"Here I am." Buffy told her pulling Glory's hand and the bolt within it, from Willow's neck. "Want to play with me?" She twisted Glory's hand and arm back behind her back, forcing her to drop the weapon.

"Buffy," Faith called out as she managed to lift the table above her head, "DUCK!"

Buffy did as commanded and dodged the flying table just as it collided with Glory's head.

She grabbed Willow and the exhausted Faith and pulled them out of the room.

Willow muttered one last spell delaying the lone god and as they descended the stairs she could still be heard bellowing threats of revenge.

* * *

Buffy walked Willow home and wished her goodnight before turning on Faith.

"What the hell was that?"

"What?"

"You going after Glory like that? You could of got yourself killed. You could of got Willow killed. God!" Buffy was besides herself with rage. "If Spike hadn't of sent me after Willow, if Spike hadn't-"

But Faith didn't hear any more of the girl's anger, she simply heard the vampires name over and over.

* * *

Willow begged Buffy to be silent while Dawn helped Tara eat a sandwich. Buffy simply kept apologising for Faith. Willow realised that trying to explain to Buffy that she would have gone, with or without Faith, was like talking to a brick wall so she simply let the girl complain about her girlfriend while she cared for her own. She could only hope that Buffy's anger was based on worry than anything else.

Buffy was midway through her third run through of her ranting when the walls came crashing down around them.

"Told you this wasn't over." Glory smiled at them all.

* * *

Thank you all for your support, Circus


	15. Now Is Mine

Summary: This is a sequel to my story A Creature I Don't Know which can be found here: s/8467907/1/A-Creature-I-Dont-Know

A/N: I strongly recommend a good understanding of season 5 to follow this: Spiral especially for this update.

Disclaimer: Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, 20th Century Fox, UPN and WB Television Networks own the television shows, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel". Dark Horse and IDW own the Comics. No copyright infringement is intended, no money is being earned by myself. The title of each chapter, and the story as a whole, come from K's Choice songs/Album titles. (Given that I had soundtrack for the first I thought I should have one for the second).

Thank you all for your kind words and support for my last story. I hope you enjoy my continuation of it. I would love to hear your thoughts on my thoughts. Many thanks.

* * *

15. Now Is Mine

Faith watched Buffy simply staring out of Xander's window while her sister replayed their great escape from this morning.

Buffy hadn't said a word to Faith since their fight the day before. Faith hadn't said a word to Buffy since Spike. She wondered if Buffy had figured out he loved her yet. She had to know. Maybe that's why she was keeping him around. Faith didn't care for her motives though, all she knew was that Buffy was allowing Spike to drive a wedge between them.

"Hellbitch in orbit!" Dawn concluded, prompting Faith to look around the room and find out what had been said.

"Go, Buff!" Xander praised.

"I knew you'd be able best Glory eventually. With all our years of training and-"

"A truck hit her." Buffy, remaining at the window, informed her Watcher.

"Oh."

"Did you throw it?" Anya tried, keen to bring back the enthusiasm into the room.

"Well, no," Dawn admitted, the light gone from her story, "she more kind of waited for it to hit Glory- but then Buffy ran really fast and we got away!"

"I don't know how we got away." Buffy sighed, turning into the room. "That truck couldn't have slowed her down for more than a second."

"How isn't important." Giles tried once more. "All that matters is the two of you are safe."

"Safe?" She practically spat the word back at him. "We've barely been able to manage not getting seriously dead every time we cross paths with Glory. Now that she knows about Dawn-"

"Wait," Faith interjected, "what?"

"Floaty green shimmers." Tara smiled at Dawn in wonder. Willow simply pointed to her girlfriend sadly while Faith caught up. "Why don't you shimmer?"

"She didn't mean to." Willow looked round the group. "You know that, right?"

"I know." Buffy nodded, "But it's done, and now we have to deal with it."

"Is there anything left in that book-"

"The Book of Tarnis?" Giles clarified for Faith.

"...something we've missed that we can use against Glory."

"Piano!" Anya smiled triumphantly.

"Boss!" Faith said quietly to herself, not paying attention to Xander's sarcastic retort for his girlfriend. "Boss!" She said louder, getting the attention of the group. "Boss, wanted to be a god right?" She looked round at them all. "What did you do to..." She faltered, she'd never really spoken about it before, "...what did you do to kill him?" She asked more softly.

Everyone fell silent, nobody knowing how to answer Faith. Nobody sure how to tell the girl how they killed one of her fathers.

"He just wanted to be a demon, Honey." Buffy said eventually. "A big, scary, apocalypse bringing demon, but a demon nonetheless. Not a god." She told her quietly. "We could fight him. We can't fight Glory."

"Not yet, but Will and I-"

"Were stupid. Reckless and nearly got yourselves killed."

"We killed all her minions. She's by herself now. Woman's not that bright."

"The _god _knows that Dawn is the key. Minions or no minions its not going to take her forever to trace us." Buffy continued. "She's too strong. We're not going to win this with spells or stakes or libraries full of dynamite. She's a god, and she's coming for us." Buffy turned back to the rest of the group, "So let's not be here when she starts knocking."

"Run away?!" Anya smiled happily. "That's what I wanted to do with the Mayor, but nooo..." She sighed to Faith, "everyone just had to stay and kill him. Running away is a sensible plan."

"That's not what she meant." Xander told her. "Is it?"

"We can't stay here." Buffy said simply. "Glory will kill us off one by one until there's nobody standing between her and Dawn."

"Buffy, we all understand the severity of the situation, but there must be another-"

"No!" She cut off Giles, "We stay - we die! Show of hands for that option?" She waited for anyone else to argue against her. "All right." She nodded. "Nobody goes home, nobody tells anyone we're leaving. We grab whatever supplies we can and that's it - we're gone."

"Cool." Dawn smiled at Faith. "Won't have to study for that geometry test."

"What about wheels?" Xander asked Buffy, "I don't think everybody's gonna fit in the Xan-mobile."

"Just get your stuff together I'll take care of it. Faith," she took her girlfriend to the side, "watch Dawn. Do anything stupid or dangerous and I will kill you." Faith tried to smile weakly at the girl she loved before her. "I'm serious," Buffy warned, "Dawn is all that matters now."

* * *

Faith sat with Dawn on the curb a little way down from the others. She could hear them talking, panicking, trying to stay calm. She didn't think Dawn could hear them though. She didn't think Dawn could hear a thing.

"You and Buffy going to split up?" Faith looked at the girl blankly. "When Mom and Dad got divorced they fought just like you two..." She cut herself off, fiddling with the edge of her jumper. "Well the monks tell me they fought anyway." She tried to smile. "But then they stopped fighting, stopped talking..." She looked back up at Faith besides her, "like you two have."

Faith wrapped an arm around the girl and pulled her close to her.

"I don't know." Faith told her truthfully. "Once all this is over..." She shrugged, "then I guess we'll find out."

"I like you better Angel."

"I like me better than Angel too." Faith smiled. "In fact, I can-" she stopped when she saw an old RV pull up in front of the others. "I have an awful feeling that's our ride."

"Cool," Dawn tried to sound enthusiastic. "Never been camping." She pulled Faith up and walked with her to the others.

Faith peered around the door and found Spike sitting in the driving seat with reinforced goggles to protect his eyes from the sun.

"What's he doing here?" Faith asked Buffy, stepping back down onto the curb.

"Just out for a jaunt." Spike called out from his seat. "Thought I'd swing by and say howdy."

"Out." Giles said simply, taking a step towards the vampire. But Buffy got in his way.

"He's here because we need him." Buffy explained.

"The hell we do." Xander scoffed.

"If Glory finds us, he's the only one besides Faith and I that has a chance of protecting Dawn."

"Buffy," Xander tried again, "come on, he-"

"This isn't a discussion!" She told him. "He stays. Get over it." She watched the others climb into the Winnebago. "You coming?" She snapped at Faith.

"Its me or him?"

"You're making me choose? Now?" Buffy laughed bitterly at her. "Your sense of timing perfect as always, Faith."

"Its me or him." Faith told her once more, trying to remain calm.

"I'm not choosing between you. I'm choosing Dawn. The pair of you can help me protect Dawn. Now get in the RV and save your pissing contest for after I've worked this out."

"Fine." Faith told her. "But I'm doing this for Dawn."

"I don't care if you do this for the memory of your dead mayor-"

Faith punched her, hit her squarely on her right cheek before Buffy could finish her sentence. Buffy simply punched her back.

"So this is it?" Buffy asked as Faith held her face. "You hit me, I hit you?"

"Just like old times, eh, girlfriend?" Faith told her as she stepped into the vehicle and sat besides Tara. "How you doing?"

"She shines." She whispered to Faith.

"All Summer's women do." Faith smiled back at her, winking as Dawn looked worriedly back at her. "Wouldn't have it any other way." Faith sighed as Buffy passed her and into the bedroom.

The door slammed and Faith made herself as comfortable as she could on the bench while Spike drove off.

* * *

They sat in an uncomfortable silence. A silence punctuated only by hushed argument between Buffy and Dawn on the state of her and Faith's relationship. Anya reassured Faith that they were all pretending not to hear it, despite the paper thin walls. Spike would snigger every so often and Faith threatened to let Tara play with the blinds again.

It wasn't until arrows started to puncture the walls and Spike took hold of the sword penetrating from the ceiling did the atmosphere lessen between them.

"This would be the time to do something impressive for the girl you love." He advised while Faith watched the blood pour from his hands.

She scanned the small moving room and hopped up on to the table and through the skylight and knocked the medieval soldier from the roof.

"Thank you!" Spike called from the hole as Buffy joined her on the roof.

"Can I kill them?"

"They're human." Buffy told her as she watched the barrage of arrows and weapons continue to threaten her sister.

"Oh good, cause there wasn't enough crazy in this town." She sighed as the two women fought off the men side by side.

"Yo B!" Faith threw her a sword. "Twelve o'clock!" She pointed to a rider on horseback heading towards the driver with a spear as in jousting tournament.

Buffy thought for a moment, only a moment, before throwing the sword in his direction.

Faith watched as the man fell from his horse.

She whistled and announced "Shot!" as she kicked the final soldier from the roof.

"So we done with that portion of the day?" Faith asked hopefully.

"I don't think so." Buffy sighed, seeing a hoard approaching in the distance.

"Red said she can protect us if we're still."

"Then we're get still." Buffy pointed to an old gas station on the horizon.

"Plan." Faith, jumped back down through the sun roof and informed the others while Buffy remained above.

* * *

Giles parked the RV round the back of the abandoned station and everyone decamped into the building. Willow made sure that Tara was calm and settled before working on something to hold the crusade back. Faith and Buffy fought off the men as Giles, Xander and Anya worked on securing the boarded up windows and exits. Spike threw a couple of punches but could only roar in pain as his chip flared.

Buffy and Faith struggled to keep the men from storming the front door, as Spike and Giles did all they could to fight of the couple that were coming from the rear. It wasn't until the general slashed at Giles midriff did Faith lose control.

"Faith, NO!" Buffy reached her just in time, just soon enough to catch the weight of Faith's hands and stop the sword from penetrating the man's chest.

Willow secured them inside, repelling the army outside. Xander took the general as Faith and Buffy saw to Giles. Faith made threats, Giles tried to pacify her. Buffy simply looked between the men. One of them was injured – possibly fatally – and the other had answers. For as long as Willow's barrier held, they had time.

Faith stood in the shadows, she'd tried to keep Dawn out of the room yet Dawn would not be kept. She would listen and she would learn with them all. If the soldier was about to explain the key's, _her_, history, she would not be kept from him. The soldier, the general, the Knight of Byzantium hid nothing from them. He wanted them to know, he needed them to know how dangerous the key, _Dawn_, was. When Buffy left to tend to Tara's screaming and to make sure that Giles was healing – that he could heal, the general spoke on. He explained of Glory's power, of her will, of her desire to return home. He spoke of the key's purpose, of what it would do, of how it would destroy the world.

Both Faith and Spike found their job as guardsman over the general, as well as their mutual distrust for Doctor Ben, whom Buffy had managed to barter into the compound, brought them into an uneasy truce. Faith knew that she hated him, trusted him about as far as Dawn could throw anything and that she would happily kill him as soon as the mess with Glory was resolved. Yet she found his presence comforting. As if having another supernaturally strong being around Dawn helped lift some of the weight of her, and more importantly Buffy. Spike couldn't stand the smell of Buffy on Faith, yet he knew his very existence was being to push them further apart. A fact he not only enjoyed but opening revelled in. He also knew though, that Faith would do anything to save Dawn to protect Buffy and for that he was grateful.

But then everything changed.

There was fresh screaming, fresh panic as Ben demanded out of the building. But just as suddenly it ended, there was only silence once he transformed into Glory.

Everything was so fast.

In the end Glory was gone, Dawn was captured and Buffy fell to the floor.

* * *

Thank you, Circus


	16. Virgin State Of Mind

Summary: This is a sequel to my story A Creature I Don't Know which can be found here: s/8467907/1/A-Creature-I-Dont-Know

A/N: I strongly recommend a good understanding of season 5 to follow this: The Weight of the World especially for this update.

Disclaimer: Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, 20th Century Fox, UPN and WB Television Networks own the television shows, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel". Dark Horse and IDW own the Comics. No copyright infringement is intended, no money is being earned by myself. The title of each chapter, and the story as a whole, come from K's Choice songs/Album titles. (Given that I had soundtrack for the first I thought I should have one for the second).

Thank you all for your kind words and support for my last story. I hope you enjoy my continuation of it. I would love to hear your thoughts on my thoughts. Many thanks.

* * *

16. Virgin State Of Mind

The television was on but she wasn't watching it. She was too transfixed by the sudden appearance of her new guest. She didn't know where the babysitter was, maybe she'd let the visitor in, maybe she was in the kitchen, maybe she was using the phone to call her boyfriend. That's what the babysitter spent most of her time doing. That and telling her off.

She looked back at the visitor and smiled at her. She looked just how she remembered. She hadn't changed at all.

"Hi, Willow." She smiled at her, before going back to playing with her doll's hair.

"Hello, Buffy." Willow eventually managed to reply.

She was looking down at her confused. Buffy didn't know why. Maybe she wasn't expecting all this. Buffy hadn't either. All she knew is that Mommy and Daddy were at the hospital and that she'd be getting a new baby brother or sister. That's why she had the doll. It was a present from Grandma.

"What are you doing here? Did the baby sitter let you in?"

"Actually, I'm, um - looking for you."

Buffy didn't know why she was looking for her. She'd been here all along. Where else would she be?

"Do you like dolls?" She asked Willow, not knowing what else to say.

She starts braiding her doll's hair.

"Buffy," Willow crouched down besides her, "what are you doing here?"

"I like it here."

"But, you know," Willow faltered, "we need you. You have to come out."

"Why?"

"To be with your friends."

Mommy had told her that she couldn't go to her friend's though. Jaime was having her birthday party today. She was taking the class ice skating. Buffy loved ice skating, but Mommy had said she couldn't go. Daddy had said it was a big day. An important day, he then asked her if she knew what 'important' meant.

"It's a big day for me." Buffy told her.

Willow opened her mouth to respond, but no words came out. Buffy heard the door open and went running.

"Mommy! Daddy!" She grabbed her father and hugged him tightly around his leg.

She turned round to see Willow simply staring at her, still holding the doll she'd handed her. Willow didn't understand. It was a big day and that's why she couldn't go ice skating.

"You're back, you're back!" She turned back to her parents and smiled.

"Hi, Buffy." Her mother smiled down at her, holding a bundle of blankets tight to her chest.

"How's my girl?" Her father asked her as he unwrapped her arms from his legs and bent down to greet her properly.

"Ready to meet your new baby sister?" Her mother asked, bending down so Buffy could see the baby properly. But Buffy didn't want to. Buffy didn't want a baby sister. She didn't want a big day. She wanted to go ice skating.

"Oh c'mon now, Buffy..." Her father pulled her close and tried once again to get her to engage with the baby, "she's

nothing to be afraid of."

"Who's afraid?" Buffy sulked.

"Don't you want to be the big sister?" Her mother asked, once again offering Buffy the chance to look at the small child properly.

"No, I wanna be the baby."

"Buffy..."

"You're gonna pay more attention to her and forget all about me." She took a quick peak at the baby wrapped in blankets before turning to Willow. "Doesn't she look funny? Like a wrinkly

old grandpa." She took another look at her sister and bent down close to really examine her. "Mom, she smells. I know! You could still take her back! Take her back, please?"

"Here." Her mother passed her her sister. "Like this." She showed her how to hold her safely. "Support the head. There you go. We're calling her Dawn."

Buffy looked down at the small face, the small nose and the wrinkles her face made as a giant yawn escaped from such a small face. She held the baby closer to her and held her so much more gently than any of her dolls. Even more gently than her new doll.

"I..." She looked up at her parents, "I could be the one to look after her sometimes, if you need a helper. Mom?" She questioned, when she received no response from either one of them. "Can I take care of her?"

"Yes, Buffy." Her mother smiled down at her, "You can take care of her."

She knew Willow was watching her. But that didn't matter. All that matter was the baby. Her sister. Dawn.

* * *

She knew Willow was still watching her. Just as she was watching Dawn and Faith out of the corner of her eye. The girls were comparing their homework again. Dawn was fresh faced from school. Faith was battered and bruised from the fight with Glory. It was taking longer and longer for Faith's wounds to heal.

She let Willow watch her. Just as she knew Faith was letting herself be watched. Buffy simply placed the book back on the shelf

She walked passed Willow and into the desert. She knew Willow was behind her, watching her, following her. Just as Willow always was. Just as Willow always had since their first meeting at school. Willow would always follow her.

* * *

She stood and watched the First Slayer, her shadow flickering, dancing, as the light of the flames played with it. The Slayer was talking to her. Willow was babbling behind her. None of it mattered though. All that mattered was that death was her gift. Death would always be her gift.

* * *

She stood back at the bookshelf and simply held the book as she contemplated it all. Maybe Willow would understand now.

She looked down. She heard Dawn and Faith comparing their homework behind her. She felt Willow's eyes searching her. Maybe she would understand now.

She looked back up to the task in hand and slid the book onto the shelf. Willow probably had no more of an idea than she did.

She walked passed her once more and headed along the corridor of her house. Her mother's home. Her home now.

"Where you going?" Willow called after her, still following, as Buffy stood in the doorway of her mother's bedroom. She daren't cross the threshold and once Willow caught up she wouldn't want to either.

"I can't keep following you around like this, Buffy. We have to go." Her voice was that of petition. Her voice was that of desperation now. "You have to talk to..." She trailed off as she followed Buffy into her mother's room. She trailed off when she saw the fresh grave. "...me... I'm sorry."

"Don't be, Will. Death is my gift." She told her as she lead her friend back out of the room.

"Yeah, I keep hearing that, but I'm not sure what it means."

Buffy shrugged, "It's really not that complicated."

"Not to you, maybe..." Willow trailed off once more as she followed Buffy into Dawn's room.

Buffy sat besides her crying sister, she comforted her for a moment before reaching behind her and pulling a pillow from beneath her head.

"It's just what I do." Buffy's tone was calm as she placed the pillow on her sister's face. "C'mon, you've known me, what, how long? This is all I'm here for. It's what I am." She pushed Dawn down, completely smothering the girl. Dawn struggled, but Buffy was stronger. She would win and she would die.

"Buffy, stop." She didn't know why Willow protested. She would win and she would die. "No, God, no. Stop!"

"What?" Dawn's struggles ceased and she fell limp beneath her. Beneath the weight of the world. "I keep telling you. I figured it out. This is my gift."

Buffy continued to press the pillow down on Dawn's dead face, she continued to watch Willow's blank expression until she was suddenly holding her new doll looking up at her.

"Hi, Willow." She smiled at her. "What are you doing here?"

"Actually, I'm, um - looking for you." She watched Willow look around the living room. "Here. Again."

"Do you like dolls?" Buffy asked her attending to her new doll's hair. This new baby was a gift from Grandma to go along with Mommy and Daddy's new baby. She didn't want Mommy and Daddy to have a new baby though, she'd give back her new doll if it meant Mommy and Daddy would do the same.

She starts braiding her doll's hair.

"No." Willow sighed, still surveying her surroundings. "And I think we already deja'd this vu."

"You talk funny." Buffy giggled her reply.

"Yes, as you'll tell me again when we're

older, and in chem class. Buffy," she crouched down before for her, "what are we doing here?"

Buffy could only shrug. "Don't you like it here?"

"We don't have time." Willow opened her mouth to say more, but no words came out. Buffy heard the door open and went running.

"Mommy! Daddy!" She grabbed her father and hugged him tightly around his leg.

"We're home." Her father smiled, hugging his eldest back.

"We're calling her Dawn."

* * *

She stood back at the bookshelf and simply held the book as she contemplated it all. Maybe Willow would understand now.

* * *

"I... I could be the one to look after her sometimes, if you need a helper." She stated as she took the baby, her sister, Dawn, from her mother. "Mom? Can I take care of her?"

"Yes, Buffy." Her mommy smiled back her reply. "You can take care of her."

* * *

"Buffy," Willow was following her again. Willow was always following her. Willow would always follow her. "Will you just stop a second and listen to me?"

Buffy could tell that Willow was starting to panic. She could hear it in her voice, she could feel it in her presence.

"You have to stop doing this."

"Doing what?"

"Killing Dawn."

"Why?"

Willow ran around her, getting in front of her, blocking her path. Getting in the way. Buffy was wrong. She was no closer to understanding, she was simply standing in the way.

"Because it never happened. You never killed your sister!"

"Will," Buffy smiled kindly at her, "I did this."

"In your imagination! None of this is real, you're stuck in some kind of loop."

"I don't know what you're talking about. Excuse me?"

Willow continued to block her path. She didn't understand. When Angel turned it was her duty to kill him. When Faith betrayed the burden fell upon her shoulders once more. It was on her. It was always on her. She had had no choice but to kill her boyfriend to save the world. She had no choice but to kill her girlfriend to stave off the apocalypse. She had no choice but to kill Dawn.

"Why are you doing this?!" Willow asked her again after she stepped aside. "No. Buffy. Leave Dawn alone. What is this?"

"My gift." Buffy reminded her as she comforted her crying sister. "This is what I do."

"But I'm not talking about this, I'm talking about this." Buffy had been in Dawn's room, on Dawn's bed with a pillow to place across her head, but Willow has somehow managed to change that.

* * *

Buffy stood besides her friend as they watched her place and replace the book on the shelf. Buffy looked past her shoulder and saw Dawn and Faith at the table behind her. She looked back to herself and watched as she placed and replaced the book on the shelf.

"Right here, it happened." Willow pointed for Buffy to watch herself, her other self, constantly place and replace the book on the self at the Magic Box. "I know it's something small, but it's something. What?"

"Don't go there, Will." Buffy warned her, stealing a glance at Dawn and Faith once more. Dawn was fresh faced from school, Faith was battered and bruised from a fight with Glory.

"I'm not!" Willow said simply. "You're the one who keeps dragging me back here. And you wouldn't be doing that if you weren't trying to show me something."

"Do I?"

"Buffy, c'mon. It's your brain. Just tell me." Willow left Buffy's side and moved closer to herself, her other self, the other Buffy. "What happened here?"

"This was when I quit, Will." Buffy told her, still placing and replacing the book.

"You did?"

"Just for a second." She nodded.

"I remember I was in the magic shop." Her other self continued for her. "Reading."

"I put a book back for Giles."

"Nothing special about it. And then," both of her selves looked back towards Faith studying with Dawn at the table. Both of her selves look to the battered and beaten body of her girlfriend. "...it hit me."

"What hit you?" Willow asked her, she asked them.

"I can't beat Glory." Buffy said simply.

"Glory's going to win." Her other self clarified.

"You can't know that." Willow tried to plead with her, with them.

"I didn't just know it-"

"-I felt it. Glory will beat me."

"And in that second of knowing it, Will-"

"-I wanted it to happen."

"Why?" Willow interrupted them.

"I wanted it over. This is all - all of it - it's too much for me."

"I just wanted it over."

"If Glory wins, then Dawn dies."

"I would grieve and people would feel sorry for me. But it would all be over. And I imagined what a relief that would be."

She and Willow watched as her other self resumed placing and replacing the book on the shelf.

"I killed Dawn." She told her.

"Is that what you think?" Willow questioned.

"My thinking it made it happen." Buffy paused, holding the book tight in her hand. "Some part of me wanted it. So, in the moment Glory took Dawn-"

"-I know I could have done something better. And I didn't. I was off by some fraction of a second."

"And this is why-"

"-I killed my sister."

She and Willow watched as her other self resumed placing and replacing the book on the shelf.

"I think Spike was right, back at the gas station. Snap out of it!"

"What?" Both she and herself asked Willow in unison.

"I'm sorry. But all this - it has a name. It's called guilt. It's a feeling, and it's important, but it's not more than that, Buffy. Buffys. You've carried the weight of the world on your shoulders since high school. I know you didn't ask for this. But you do it. Every day, and so you wanted out for one second, so what?" Willow shrugged.

"I got Dawn killed..."

"Hello!" Willow pointed at Dawn and Faith sat at the table doing their homework. "Your sister - not dead yet! But she will be if you stay locked inside here and never come back to us."

"I don't think I can."

"Okay," Willow sighed as if she was talking to the child version of herself once again, "unlike Glory, the Slayer is also human. You get to be. You feel everything you're doing and I admit, I have no idea how hard that must be - but you have to do it."

"And what if I can't?"

"Faith will take your place."

Buffy laughed sadly, "Look at her, she's still in school, still a child herself. She's dying every time she goes out to fight Glory. She died that night I killed her and she's never been the same."

"Then," Willow shrugged, "I guess you're right. And you did kill your sister."

She watched as Willow walked away.

"Wait." She called out after her, "Where are you going?"

Willow stopped at the Magic Box door, "Where you're needed." She said said simply before holding out her hand. "Are you coming?"

Buffy looked to herself at the bookshelf. She looked to the two girls at the table, one she had killed before and the other she feared would die. Faith looked up at her, and she smiled. She was very much alive.

* * *

Buffy looked across at Willow and found herself sat on Xander's bed with Willow on a chair opposite. She looked around the room, listened to the sounds coming from the other side of the door and realised that Willow had pulled her out of herself.

Tears ran down her face and Willow moved to hold her as they did.

After a couple of phone calls and updates, Willow led Buffy across town and back to the others.

"You're back." Giles smiled at her as she walked through his shop door. She noticed the colour that had been missing from his cheeks the last time she'd seen him.

"We missed you." Faith told her, walking across and taking her in her arms. "I missed you." She whispered in her ear.

Buffy wasn't used to such a show of affection from Faith, especially not in front of any others. The most she'd ever received before were crude jokes or discreetly held hand.

Buffy let herself be held by the younger girl. She felt her touch, smelt her hair and relaxed wholly into her embrace. She was alive. She had died at Buffy's hand and yet she walked, talked, breathed and lived.

"Hear you found the ritual text." Buffy smiled at the others, once she and Faith had released each other.

"Something like that, ye-"

"Did you know Ben is Glory?" Xander interrupted Giles.

"Total waste of a muffin basket." Faith complained.

"So I'm told." Buffy squeezed her hand tighter, before turning to Giles. "What do we know?"

She let go of Faith's hand and approached the man. He was hesitating. She'd known him long enough to be able to tell that the only news he had was not to be welcomed.

"Well, according to these scrolls, there is a way to stop Glory." He removed his glasses and started to clean the lenses. "I'm afraid it..." He returned his glasses to his face, before running a hand through his hair. "Buffy, I've read these very carefully. There's not much margin for error. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"Might help if you actually said it."

"Glory plans to open a dimensional portal by way of ritual blood letting."

"Dawn's blood?"

"Yes." He nodded. "Once the blood is shed at a certain time and place, the fabric separating all realities will be ripped apart. Dimensions will pour into one another with no barriers to stop them. Reality as we know it will be destroyed, and chaos will reign on Earth.

"So how do we stop it?" No one else was speaking, it was as if it was just her and Giles in the shop, in the world. Her hands were tight across her chest, as he continued to speak, continue to admit his betrayal. Only there were no needles this time, there were no instructions from England, it was only him and her now. "The portal will only close once the blood is stopped. And the only way for that to happen is... Buffy - the only way is to kill Dawn."

* * *

Thank you, Circus


	17. Busy

Summary: This is a sequel to my story A Creature I Don't Know which can be found here: s/8467907/1/A-Creature-I-Dont-Know

A/N: I strongly recommend a good understanding of season 5 to follow this: The Gift especially for this update.

Disclaimer: Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, 20th Century Fox, UPN and WB Television Networks own the television shows, "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel". Dark Horse and IDW own the Comics. No copyright infringement is intended, no money is being earned by myself. The title of each chapter, and the story as a whole, come from K's Choice songs/Album titles. (Given that I had soundtrack for the first I thought I should have one for the second).

Thank you all for your kind words and support for my last story. I hope you enjoy my continuation of it. I would love to hear your thoughts on my thoughts. Many thanks.

* * *

17. Busy

Death was her gift.

The world was saved, without fan fair or ceremony. Worlds and dimensions had crashed into each other like tectonic plates, her life was the sacrifice to stop the eruption.

Death truly was her gift.

She had left Faith to deal with Ben, little did she know that the other slayer had killed the innocent as her Watcher looked on. Little did she know that her mercy had been ignored. All that mattered was that she had rescued the girl from the monster and the tower before she jumped into the abyss to save the world.

The god had demanded a life, Buffy provided the lamb to save the child. Such was her love for the girl.

* * *

Faith ran. She packed her things and fled in the night. She stood by the fresh grave, having been absent from the funeral, and said her last goodbyes. They were bitter and cold. Full of scorn and hatred. She had taken a human life, for what? Buffy had given herself and got to rest in peace. Faith had given herself and reawakened the ghosts she'd been suppressing. Buffy got to die. Faith had to live.

She cursed her name, she told her she loved her and she left in the night.

* * *

Giles watched her die. He watched her sacrifice herself so that the world might be safe. He watched her kill a human once more. He watched her kill him so that Buffy wouldn't have to. He watched her kill him yet Buffy died anyway.

Once again he had chosen one over the other and yet he had lost both in the gamble.

He heard her leave. Her silent footsteps not quiet enough to be hidden by the night. He knew she would go to her and from there, he could only imagine.

He watched the others pick up their lives. Willow and Tara taking over guardianship of Dawn, Xander and Anya working on rebuilding it all. It took him too long to realise that Faith should have that chance too. She was already gone. She vanished into the night and would not be found.

He had failed her once more. All that time ago he had naively thought that Buffy would be there to pick up the broken pieces of Faith, he never realised she had had other intentions.

He had failed her once more. He had lost them both.

* * *

And that's it folks. Thank you very much for reading, for supporting and encouraging. Circus

(Keep an eye out for 'Begin To Hope' that will be the next in the series...)


End file.
